Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas Letter

For those of you who may not have gotten one in the mail here is the Christmas Letter I sent out. I apologize if you didn't get one, but I miscalculated the number of friends and family we had, besides, if you are keeping up with this blog you already know everything in the letter!!

We love and miss you all and wish you all a blessed Christmas Season.

Adams Clan Adventures

Well another year has come and gone. It seems to fly by so quickly. We had a busy, yet uneventful year. I suppose that in and of itself is something for which to be very thankful. I pray that the next year goes by just the same!!

The big hit of the year happened this summer. Doug was nominated to attend the LCMS national convention in Houston, TX and we decided to celebrate our 10th anniversary in conjunction with that trip. So we split up the kids, half at one grandparents, half ant the other, and we flew to Houston for 10 days in July. WE did convention stuff the first part of the week and spent the weekend sight seeing and spending time together with NO KIDS!! While there I visited a few museums alone and then Doug and I went to the Johnson Space Center together. We also shopped in Katy and went to the beach in Galveston. The kids, mind you, had a blast at Grandma and Grandpa's and they even switched kids mid week so everyone got to see everyone else!! They were spoiled rotten!

We ended the summer with a trip to Saginaw to see the Brenners before school started again. The kids are getting so big. Grace is now in third grade , the twins in second, Daniel started four year old preschool this year and Sarah turned two in July. They all enjoy school, except Sarah who is bored to death when everyone is away. She loves to see them all come home! Grace is still playing the violin and the twins are in their second year of Cub Scouts. Grace, Nathan, and Jacob are also participating in a Community Children's Theater production of HONK! Jr. So we are keeping busy.

Doug and I spend most of our time keeping up with the kids. We are still in Hillsdale, this is his 6th year here! I am still involved in church in various ways, most having to do with the kids. I have begun a blog - which you know since you are reading this on the blog :0 ) It is a great way to keep up with us. Drop us a comment and let us know how you are doing.

Merry Christmas to all and may you all have a blessed holiday season!!

Love from the Adams Clan:

Doug, Robyn, Grace, Nathan, Jacob, Daniel and Sarah

Hippo Christmas Song

This is Chrismas?!!!

Well I finally have a few minutes to myself so I thought I should update the blog and let you all in on our crazy December and it isn't even half over!!!

December is always crazy in the life of a Pastor, but add to that 5 kids, at least three family Christmas parties, church parties, school programs, church programs, Doctor appointments and HONK!(what was I thinking) and well life around here is a bit hectic. You should see my calendar!!

Let's see, this week we had Boar's Head Festival in Ann Arbor on Sunday. That was great we took the top four kids, it was Daniel's first, and every one enjoyed it. Monday I took the car in to have the breaks fixed and we had HONK! from 6:30-8. Tuesday I had Bible Study and something in the evening, but I can't remember what right now. Then Wednesday we had HONK! from 6:30-8 and Thursday I babysat for four extra kids from 10a till 2p, ranging in age from newborn to almost 5. That was a crazy day then we had HONK! in the evening again. Friday Doug and I took Daniel and Sarah into Jackson for some Christmas shopping. We got back to town in time to pick up the kids from school and then Grace had a violin rehearsal till 5p. Today we had Christmas program rehearsal at 10 am and Grace's violin recital at 2p. I was glad to get home and relax this evening. We had Hot and Ready Pizza for dinner and every one went to bed early.

I still have how many days until Christmas??

Warts and all!!

That is the title of the show the kids, Grace, Nathan and Jacob, will be in in February. A few weeks ago they auditioned for the local Theater for Youth's production of HONK! Jr. They made the show and are froglettes. They only sing in three or four songs, but they are featured in "Warts and All". If you go to Youtube and type in the song title you should be able to find some videos of other people preforming the song. It is really cute and I think the kids are going to have a blast. We had our first meeting tonight and rehearsals begin on Sunday, December 2. I have included a few links for those of you who aren't familiar with HONK! I wasn't. It is basically the story of the ugly duckling. I have also included the link to the Theater for Youth. They will occasionally post pictures of the kids at rehearsals and in the show. The show is February 8,9,10,15,16&17. You are all invited, just let me know how many tickets you will need and for what show. I will post the times when I know them. So the next time you see the kids you can tell them you love them WARTS AND ALL!!!!

Thanksgiving in Pictures

We had an eventful Thanksgiving weekend. I thought instead of relating it to you in words I would do it with pictures. I have added some commentary, just to move the story along.

The Girls making Apple Pie!

Wow! Pies are Done!!!

Yumm - O!

No Heat!! This is the first time over the next four days that Lakeview comes out to fix the furnace. Once Thursday, Friday and Sunday!! It is finally working. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it stays that way.

Watching the Parade and eatin' popcorn.

Nap Time!!!

Dessert, a perfect ending to a Thanksgiving Day!

Friday, Mark and Renee Brenner and the boys came over to visit. We had leftovers for lunch and pizza for dinner. We talked with the kids played. The dad's rented Wii games and I think they had more fun than the boys did!! Saturday morning Renee and I went on a coffee run then the Brenners left around 9am. Grandma and Grandpa Wyckhuys arrived at about 11:30 and spent the night with us. Church on Sunday, another furnace fix, and naps and by Sunday night, we had had a very busy weekend. It was great to visit with friends and family. We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day Everyone!!!

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. We are having an eventful day and are looking forward to a fun weekend.

I am doing an informal poll. What are you most thankful for this year. Send along your comment and let us know. I'll start by saying that I am most thankful for my faith, my family and my friends.

Check back Sunday or sooner for a look at our Thanksgiving in pictures and lots from the weekend too. Can't wait to hear your poll answers! We love and miss you all.

Blessings!!!

Smile

There are lots of new posts today so scroll down and enjoy. I kinda made up for lost time this week. Have fun and SMILE!!!

The Climb

Daniel. Heaven help us all!!!

Honor Roll

At Will Carleton Academy where the kids go to school, Third grade is the first year they get real grades instead of O, S, or N. So with grades comes the Honor Roll. Grace was blessed to be on this first quarters honor roll. They have a ceremony where they hand out the certificates and they shake hands. All of the third grade class made the A's and B's honor roll, Grace included. They also recognize all A's, which Grace wasn't this quarter, but is trying for in the second quarter. I have included some pictures. They didn't turn out too great because I was too far away using my flash. In any case we are very proud of Grace and are working hard to keep her on the honor roll for next quarter. We know she can do it!!!!

The Loft

Grace was given a new bed this week. A member's daughter was down-sizing and wanted to know if we wanted a loft type bed with a desk underneath. Of course, Grace would love it and it would get her off the floor; she was sleeping on a queen mattress with no box spring because it wouldn't fit up the stairs. So it was delivered Saturday and Doug finally set it up today, Wednesday. She had it made and organized within minutes. She loves it. Thank you Crist Family!!

Are You Smarter Than a Third Grader

These were some of the questions that I made up based on the study guide sent home for Grace's Social Studies test on Ancient Rome. She got 100%, could you???

Rulers

Nero, Diocletian, Constantine, Justinian

1. Who was known for being greedy and selfish?
2. Who wrote down the Roman laws?
3. Who was known as the first Christian ruler?
4. Who divided the empire into 2 halves and named honest, hardworking, men for government offices?


Fill in the Blank

Mt. Vesuvius, colosseum, circus Maximus, arches, Pax Romana, Pompeii,Western Empire

5. The ________ fell first in AD476.
6. The Romans watched chariot races in the ___________.
7. The __________ was a time of peace for Rome that lasted about 200 years.
8. _______ gave support to many Roman structures.
9. The Romans watched fights in the _____________.
10. __________ erupted in A.D. 79 and destroyed the cities of __________ & Herculaneum.

True or False

11. We can tell from ruins that the Romans went to shopping centers.
12. When the Roman Empire was divided into 2 , the Western Empire was ruled from Constantinople and the Eastern was ruled from Rome.
13. The Romans persecuted Christians because they believed in only one God.


Short Answer

14. List three reasons buildings become ruins.
15. List four reasons for the decline of the Roman Empire.
16. List two things the Romans did to the Christians.

Vocab
a. civil war b. collapse c. conquer d. decline e. mosaic f. persecute g. pillage
h. pillar i. preserve j.toga k. virtue

17. ___ to win control of a land by attacking an enemy or fighting a war.
18. ___ goodness
19.___ a loose robe worn by citizens of ancient Rome
20.___ to fall down suddenly
21.___ a war between people who live in the same country
22.___ to grow weaker
23.___ to treat people cruelly and unfairly
24. ___ to keep or save
25. ___ a tall, solid support post
26. ___ to steal things using force or violence
27. ___ art work made of many small pieces of stone or tile



Scroll all the way to the bottom of this page to see how you did. Send me your score!!!

Notes from School

The following is a note that was sent home with Daniel today.

"Daniel read his first words at school today!! He was very pleased with himself. He is not ready to read them at home but will be soon. hat, cat, bat, sat, mat, fat, with this word he laughed and said"Daddy is fat"

Only Daniel. Diane Smith, his teacher, has been working at St. Paul's for quite a few years now so we know her pretty well. She is a big reason that we decided to send Daniel to preschool to begin with. Anyway, I am sure that she felt quite comfortable sending the note and laughing as she did!!! Thanks Diane!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Today is my mom's birthday. So I just wanted to post a Happy Birthday message to let her know we are thinking about her and love her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Something

This has been a fairly uneventful week in the Adams' house.

The week started out calmly with laundry, loads of laundry, on Monday. ( I am still doing laundry today!! But I did lots on Monday)

Tuesday is Bible Study morning. I lead a Moms Bible study once a week. We have about 9 regular moms and no less than 15 children under the age of 4 each week. Most of the moms have 2 or more children, acutally all but one. Some stay in the room with us but in the play room there are usually two or three babysitters and 10 to 12 kids. Can you say Chaos!!! Tuesday afternoon Doug stayed home and helped me clean for the trustees. It was their night to walk through the parsonage. My house is now clean for at least 48 hours until I get behind again. Not sure how that happens but it always does. No surprises on the walk through. It was what we expected.

Wednesday was another quiet day at home.

Thursday the big kids had a half day because of Parent Teacher conferences so they came home at 11:30 and Daniel went to school at noon. It was a backwards day. Thursday night we had McDonalds to celebrate the kids great report cards. Grace made honor roll!! All A's and B's!! (only 2 B's) That ceremony is next Wednesday at opening. We will be there to take pictures.

Today, Friday, the kids had the day off. So they actually slept in until 7:30!! That was a great start to our day. Doug made pancakes and eggs for breakfast. I am not allowed to make pancakes anymore because I burn them. :-) After breakfast the kids and Dad sat down and watched "Fort Apache"! They love that movie. Daniel was once again quaranteened to the bedroom with the tv because he had developed a 1o2 fever!! We took him to Dr. Herbener at noon. No strep just a cold. Thank goodness!! He hates being alone upstairs! Although Nathan wanted to know if Daniel had strep throat again if he would have to have his nostrils taken out. He meant tonsils. The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. Grace had violin practice from 4 until 5:30 then we had dinner and cleaned up for bed. Everyone is asleep and has been since about 8:30!! There really isn't that much going on now, just wait until it gets closer to Christmas though. Life around here gets real fun!!

Oh back to the title of this blog. That is Sarah's new word, something. It comes around often now. "I stinky or something." "I eat oatmeal or something" "I watch tv or something" see the pattern. I have no idea where she picked it up, but it is quite funny. I will listen for more quotes and post them tomorrow. Oh and she is starting to eat each meal like it is her last. Today she had three pancakes and eggs for breakfast and for dinner she had spaghetti, two helpings of cottage cheese, and about 6 slices of peaches. She just kept eating and eating and eating. At least she doesn't complain!!!

One last funny, the boys have played a Wii game with Spiderman in it. The character has a few quotes that he says over and over. One of them the boys, especially Daniel, really like. It goes, "The itsy bitsy spider is gonna web you in the face." Well Daniel says it all the time especially when he plays spiderman or when he is in a scrapping mood. However, it was when I was changing Sarah today and she started to sing what I thought was going to be "The itsy bitsy spider crawled up the water spout" but it turned into "the itsy bitsy spider is gonna web you in the face." Help!!!!

Dress up Fun

On Friday Doug, Sarah, Daniel and I went into Jackson to take some college girls to the train station. We also stopped at the Toy House to pick up Boy Scout stuff for the Twins and a toy for Sarah, a Christmas gift really. We also went to the "Halloween USA" store. All their costumes were 50% off. So we were able to pick up some great dress up stuff at a fraction of the cost. Here

are some pictures. The boys each got a super hero costume and then we got the Boba Fet costume because he was one character we DIDN'T have yet. So that is Jacob as Boba Fet and Superman. Nathan is red Spiderman and Daniel is Black Spiderman. Grace is a pirate and Sarah is Tinker Bell.

The kids had a blast playing with the new costumes. They were having so much fun I took some pictures, lots of pictures actually. It was hard to pick just a few. Here are some of the fun ones.

I hope that you all had a great weekend. We did. Oh and that was a great Football game on Saturday, no matter who you were cheering for. GO BLUE!! I added pictures to my last post so scrool down for more smiles.

HAPPY REFORMATION DAY

It was on this day in 1597 that Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses denouncing the papal corruption to the north door of Wittenburg's Castle Church, beginning the Reformation. Happy Reformation Day!!

Tomorrow is All Saints Day. Depending on when your church celebrated these two holy days will depend on what color your altar is on Sunday. If you don't have special services during the week for them (which we don't but some churches do) your altar last week should have been RED for Reformation and your altar this week should be WHITE for All Saints Day. If you had services during the week for these then your altar should be GREEN, the color for the time after PENTECOST. This is the color it has been all summer by the way!!

OK, moving on to funnier things. Instead of Trick or Treating our family spends Halloween inside, with the porch light off, playing games and having fun together. The kids had a blast tonight. We got some candy and pop from Walmart and had Hot and Ready Pizza for dinner. Then afterward there was an impromptu wrestling match between the kids. It was great watching Daniel cling to Grace's legs and the boys try to pull her pants off by the cuffs. They weren't successful but Daniel has a great grip!!

During dinner the boys, Doug included, some how got to talking about marriage. Doug said that once they were married nothing would be theirs anymore. Their wives would take all their stuff, especially their clothes, which I have a habit of doing. His are always lots more comfy than mine. Anyway Doug adds that sometimes they will even steal your underwear, giving me a knowing look :-) (boxers mind you but still underwear just the same.) And Nathan proceeds to say, speaking of his future wife, heaven help her, "I hope they are dirty when she puts them on."



After dinner and the wrestling match the kids and Doug went up stairs to play Star Wars. He sent Grace on a recon mission to scout out where the "Queen"(me) was. At the time I was sitting in the living room putting together a puzzle of the USA that Sarah had dumped out. So Grace goes back to report my location and says, " We can't go down there she's not in a good spot. She is smack damn in the middle of the living room!!!" (I think she meant "smack dab")






The laughs just kept coming tonight. Nate was injured during one of the Storm Trooper missions and needed repair from a medic. Grace the medic went to work and when she was finished Nate exclaimed, "I feel like a new myself!"



I don't think we could have had anymore fun trick or treating, do you?

Oktoberfest, I mean Lutherfest!!

Tonight was what used to be called Oktoberfest but is now called Lutherfest at our church. They had carnival games ( donuts on a string, pumpkin painting, face painting, bean bag toss) for the kids and a great traditional German dinner. Sausage and saurcrout, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, hot dogs, cole slaw, rolls and lots and lots of pies. I took the kids and Aunt Amanda up at about 4:45pm. Dinner began at 6pm luckly we were one of the first tables to be served. Sarah still isn't feeling that great so she was cranky. Daniel was tired since he didn't take a nap today. Not a good combo. Needless to say we, that is Daniel, Sarah and I, left before the dancing even started. I did get to see the St. Paul's cloggers do one dance. That was neat. Sarah liked it but thought it was too loud. Rev. Oliver Washington, an army chaplin, was there as a guest speaker. Doug and I knew him from our Concordia days. He graduated with us. So we were able to visit with him, actually Doug and Amanda visited with him. Amanda knew him from Concordia too, he was the interm Campus Pastor last year. Then there was a live polka band. Daniel was upset he was going to miss the chicken dance, but he was asleep with in a half hour of coming home. Sarah was too. She is feeling better today thanks to that great Azitromyacin. That worked literally overnight!!!


Funny of the day: Sarah knows how to blow her nose and she has been doing a great job of it lately. Yesterday, however, she was really stuffed up and constantly had gook running out of her nose. When I asked her to blow her nose she would try but just couldn't get anything to come out. Her reply? "I can't, its broke!!" Gotta love two year old logic!!

Still Sick

I took Sarah back to the Dr today. She still had a fever of 103.5 in between doses of Motrin. She now has pneumonia. Happy Joy!! Thankfully we caught it soon and she doesn't have to have breathing treatments. He put her on Azithromyacin. Good stuff.

Oktoberfest/Lutherfest is tomorrow and then church on Sunday. Dr. H said she should be better in 24 hours. We shall see. I will probably still get a sub for Sunday though, just in case. She is sleeping now along with the twins, they worked hard today. Daniel is still up but he fell asleep on the couch watching Curious George this afternoon. Grace is up too but won't be for much longer. Me, I am going to bed sooner than later I think. No more Smallville to watch, at least not yet. Our source doesn't have season 6 so we will have to wait to watch it later.

blessings all!

Next

Miserable. I think that about sums it up. She laid here like this and watched from "Sixteen going on Seventeen" to "So Long Farewell." The puppet show is her favorite. We watched that at least twice. Sarah went to the Dr today, but the strep test came back negative. I probably jumped the gun and took her too early, but we had a rough night and she had a fever and wasn't eating. We skipped bible study today, went to the Dr and just hung out at the house. Daniel is ready to go back to school or should I say I am ready for Daniel to go back to school. Other than miserable Sarah there is not much else going on here. Council meeting tonight for Doug and grocery shopping tomorrow for me. That means I need to make my menu and list tonight so that I have an idea of what I need to buy tomorrow. It is surprising how having a list really does help you to not over spend and buy things you really don't need. It makes shopping go faster too. I am going to go first thing in the morning after I drop off the kids. Wal-mart is much less busy at 8am than after lunch. Ok I have already rambled more than I intended to tonight so "Auf Wiedersehen" (I actually had to look that spelling up! So much for 5 years of German!!)

No News is Good News

Daniel is still sick, but so far no one else is showing signs. I took temps at dinner tonight and just about everyone had a low temp, but they had been playing hard in the blue room with Sarah. We shall see what tomorrow brings. The kids are all in bed as I am typing this. Our theory is that the more they sleep the less likely they will be to get sick. They all took a nap this afternoon so hopefully it works. The nap this afternoon though was long so this early bed time might be a challenge. I will continue to keep you posted on our health.

No church or Sunday School tomorrow for Daniel, Sarah and I. The big kids are singing at 10:30 so they will go as long as no one has a fever in the morning. Jacob and Nathan are singing "Christ be my Leader" and Grace is singing "Father Welcomes" all with their Sunday School classes of course, no solos or duets yet. Maybe someday.

Let us know you are reading. We would love to hear from all of you. And let us know if you blog too. I would love to add you to our links. Blessings All!!!

It Begins

I hate Michigan winters. As soon as we close the windows and turn on the heat we start to get sick. Colds, runny noses, sore throats, coughs and sneezes. A family this size is bound to have something at any given time all season long. Today it was Daniel.

We took Daniel to the doctor today because he had been acting very un-Daniel like lately. Crabby, irritable, tired and blah. He was up in the night dry heaving and complained of a sore throat. We have a great pediatrician and we were in to see him before noon and had the strep test back in five minutes, positive of course. So now he is on antibiotics for the next 10 days and quarantined to Grace's room cause it still has the TV and DVD player in it. Hopefully we can keep the rest of the gang healthy. Any and all prayers will be greatly appreciated. We will keep you posted.

Learning Curve

When Grace and the twins were little they pretty much lived on a diet of chicken nuggets, hot dogs and pizza. I would make one meal for Doug and I and one for the kids. Eventually I got tired of fixing two different meals. So I fixed things the kids should enjoy, spaghetti, chicken (not nuggets, meat loaf) and pretty much said eat what is in front of you or go hungry. It took several nights of tears and going to bed hungry, but they eventually got the idea.

There are still some things they refuse to eat, but I am done making several different meals. I try to fix things they like, that are healthy and are adult enough for Doug and I. I will occasionally fix them hot dogs or nuggets if I know they really won't like what we are having, but that rarely happens now. We used to go through two Sam's Club size bags of nuggets in less than two months, now I buy one and it lasts at least three. I will sometimes fix like meals that are different: we have salmon, they have fish sticks, for example, but for the most part they eat what we do.

At seven and eight they are just now starting to branch out into new territory. Jacob will now eat a double cheeseburger from a fast food place, Nate still just eats nuggets. Daniel is eating double cheeseburgers. Grace is just now eating a Big Mac or cheeseburger, this time last year it was only nuggets. All of the kids including Sarah will eat Arby's now but just a year ago Jacob would only eat the chicken strips. Spaghetti and tacos are favorites, but pot roast and meat loaf go untouched. They will eat a rotisserie chicken, but won't eat KFC or baked chicken from my oven.

My point, well I am getting to that. Daniel and Sarah have had a different meal time experience. They were never cooked special meals unless it was something like steak that a two or three year old couldn't handle. If Doug and I had it for dinner so did they. They get a spoonful or whatever of the meal, no questions asked, no choices given. They will eat it eventually and children won't starve or become malnourished just because they skip a meal. Yes they have had their share of chicken nuggets and hot dogs, but not nearly as many as the big kids. They eat what is in front of them with out much complaint. Daniel only complains if the boys do and will usually eat the meal even if the twins go to bed hungry.

This was most evident last night. I fixed a tater tot casserole, browned hamburger, cream of celery soup, tater tots and cheese on top baked in the oven till hot. You would think this would be a kids dream. Its like a cheeseburger and fries. Well the twins went to bed hungry, but Sarah, who has never had this dish before and for whom I almost made a hot dog but didn't, ate two helpings and loved it!!!! No fuss, not one objection, she just dug right in and ate.

So what is the moral of my story: make your kids eat what you fix when they are small and you won't have seven year olds going to bed hungry cause they won't even eat a Tater Tot Casserole!!

Orchestra

I took Grace, Nathan and Jacob to an orchestra concert today. The Hillsdale College/Community Orchestra gave its first concert of the season this weekend. They played four pieces, all of which were very well done. They even started the performance with the National Anthem. The kids liked that one the best because they knew the music. Grace did great sitting through it, the boys not so much. But overall they did well. Sorry but I didn't take any pictures.

There were several students and community members in the orchestra that the kids knew and lots of people in the audience that they knew also. There were at least 10 orchestra members from our church, most of them college students. I really enjoyed it, despite the kids. The next attempt at culture is a Christmas Operetta called "Amahl and the Night Visitors" Two Johnson boys and a babysitter are in this one. It is only 45 minutes long so it should go over much better with the boys.

Then in December we take the kids to the Boars Head performance at Concordia College in Ann Arbor. This is a highlight of the Christmas season for our family. This will be Daniel's first year to go. (They get to go when they are four. Actually, Daniel went as a tiny baby with Grace but we don't count that. ) Tickets go on sale on October 29 so if any of you are interested in going along with us on Sunday or any other day the first weekend in December give me a call and let me know. I call that Monday at noon to order the tickets.

Hope you all had a great weekend. I know I did!!

Fun Times

Ok so I don't post for a while and then I go bonkers and make three in one night. Anyway today's set can start either with this post or you can scroll down to "Nothing is what is seems" either way be prepared to smile. Oh and this would also be the place to post the pictures of Daniel's first Field Trip. Well that won't happen because I FORGOT MY CAMERA!! Renee and I are in the running for Mother of the Year. We love and miss you all!!

Dimples

Gotta love the Dimples. Sarah may not have true dimples but she sure is cute!!! And Daniel, well his will steal hearts someday. Maybe he already has!

Nothing Is As It Seems

Today that is not a TV tray holder. Can you guess what it is??

Don't cheat and click on the picture to see what I saved it as. Had I know that before I would have given a less descriptive name to the reformated picture. I will not give out such a hint next time. Is that how you guessed the violin question too? Sneaky!!

Pockets

I have a new rule in my house. Boys (and men's) pants are not allowed to have more than four pockets. Two in the front and two in the back. (And I only allow four because I know it is unreasonable to believe that pants are even made with less than the standard four. If they were then the rule would be no pockets!! ) No pockets are allowed on the thigh or further down the leg. And front pockets with those tiny change pockets inside them are also frowned upon. I swear that I spend 20 minutes a load just going through pockets. I have found Star Wars guys, helmets and guns for the Star Wars guys, sand, money, wallets, dice, sand, paper, candy, candy wrappers, crayons, crayon wrappers, sand, Kleenex, stones, rocks, sun glass clips, and a zillion other things I can't remember. The worst is I have washed all of the above and dried some of it too. I ruined some good uniform pants with a dried blue crayon, obviously not a washable from crayola. I broke the sun glass clips and those weren't even in a pants pocket, dress shirt pockets are off limits too. Thankfully I was able to replace those before the warranty had expired. In conclusion please remember that I have BOYS and lots of pockets means that one day I may just stick my hand in one and pull out something ALIVE!!!

The Domestication of Robyn Continued ... Again.

So you have been wondering what that contraption was that I showed you a few days ago.

Well it is affectionately know as "The Smasher". It has various uses, but I used it to smash my tomatoes so I could make sauce. It can also do apples for applesauce.

I lost count as to how many tomatoes I used but I ended up with about 8 quarts of smashed tomatoes.

"The Smasher" rings the tomatoes and the seeds and skin come out one end and the pulp and juice another. I am planning on using this to make and freeze some spaghetti sauce. I still have some tomatoes left, but those we will have to eat the traditional way.

Notice that is not me in the picture smashing the tomatoes. Doug helped with his muscle. He was better at getting the tomatoes through than I was. Maybe I should call this the Domestication of Doug!

I just made sure the things stayed on the table and that the junk didn't get in with the good stuff. We made a mess but had fun too. This is the bowl of seeds and skin. We should have a compost pile or put this back in our garden. I hear I might get some volunteer plants next year if I put them back in the garden. I don't think I am that domesticated, yet.

I will let you know how the end product turns out. Thanks Kathy, for the smasher and the recipe!!!