This is my very talkative, full of life, energetic girl! This is Kimmi. She is about a week and a half from being FIFTEEN!! Kimmi almost always smiles. I love her and I love how she welcomes people. I love this picture below. Whoops!
She really is the life of the party, and in a really sweet way, she feels responsible to draw out a "shy" person. I so would have wanted her for my best friend when I was growing up.
Love this girl ALOT, and I'm so proud of her for so many reasons.

I've been ignoring my husband

For years, my husband has told me he wants our children to do their own laundry and for years I have ignored him. I kind of assume he doesn't realllllly mean it. I don't even give it much thought when he says it. I think I've assumed what he really meant was that it would be nice if our children did their own laundry kind of like it sure would be nice if there was no more war or hunger in the world. You know...one of those idealistic thoughts that you really cannot do a thing about.

If I were honest, I'd admit that I knew he was serious, it just didn't feel like something I could give up..It was beyond what could be asked of me...AND he didn't mention it that many times. I know he doesn't mean my really little children, but I'm thinking probably he means anyone 10 ish and up. I'm kind of excited now that I've decided to submit this little area of my life to my sweet and very patient leader. In the past, when he would mention it, my brain was flooded with images of laundry hampers in each room just crammed full of moldy clothes, and me getting ready to do some laundry and having to wait in line behind others...WHAT???, or even worse than that...more scheduling (MUSIC from scary shower scene in PHYCHO playing here) Wait...maybe that's not music?

This little basket at the top is all we have right now so really not so bad, but honestly, I think my hubby is right...they need to learn . Also, I do more of the daily upkeep than I should. Not just in the area of laundry, but I have a new commitment to teach my children to take more responsibility in the running of our home. That means more teaching, training and patiently and JOYFULLY watching them do twice as slow what I could do twice as good as they do it: ) Hopefully that will be just for now. Hopefully, pretty soon I will have a houseful of people who can launder with the best of them. I'll let you know.

Cherry Vanilla Coconut Granola Recipe

Cherry Vanilla Coconut Granola

4 cups quick oats--I used quick because that's what Sam's carries and what was in my pantry: )

I regular sized bag coconut( I toasted separately and added with the cherries after it all cooled)

½ tsp salt

½ cup brown sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1/3 cup oil

¼ cup strawberry jam( or you could substitute honey if you'd like or any jam)

1½ cup dried cherries

Combine the oil, jam, and vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine all of the other ingredients except for the cherries and coconut. You add those after you're all done. Pour liquid mixture in with the oat mixture.

Spread on a baking sheet and bake in a 300° oven for 35-40 minutes. and combine well.

If you're using convection, its a little shorter so just keep an eye on it. We wait until it's looking a little crisp.

We pour it out onto a separate sheet pan when it's ready, or wax paper would be fine, to allow cooling. After it cools, mix in the cherries and coconut. Then into the bags.

Oh.....and look at my messy kitchen. We stocked up on homemade snack foods that day. We made a gargantuous amount of hummus too. I figured out how to make it yummy without the tahini. Yayyyy!! Tahini is the ingredient that makes it not so frugal. We just added more olive oil and also tweaked it with more spices this time. Everyone was happy with it.

Also, we made laundry detergent, and caught up on tons of laundry. If I need to have a laundry catch up day, it helps me to be creative in the kitchen while digging out of the mountain of laundry. It makes the laundry mountain secondary but still it gets accomplished.

A Hill + a tarp + water + baby shampoo = Fun For All

Tap Light Planet Project

We painted these little cuties. Oh, if you can't tell, they are planets. I've been getting a lot of good ideas for my little people at a site called http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/

It is great for summer learnin' . I'm actually thinking we could probably just use these ideas year round and get all the learnin' and fun we need.

Cole helping a momma! We couldn't find the hammer at first. The gigantic "whatever that tool is" didn't work, so max found the hammer for us.

The plan was to make all nine for Max's wall but, we got sidetracked and the bigger girls decided to make glitter night lights. Cute! The lights and the girls!
Max with venus and earth. He made his earth blue, green and a brownish orange color. I tried to get him to paint over the brownish orangey color by showing him a photo of earth from space, and it was that moment that I realized he was right. Africa has alot of the color he

chose: ) He is very observant. I'm not: )
Jessie wanted to take this picture of her "earth".


Another beautiful treasure and the box of the tap lights from walmart. They ended up about $1 each and batteries were included.
Big sis adding batteries for little sis: )

Lovely girls. I'm very blessed with these treasures!!!! Thank you God!

Hmmmmm....How to get my people to use supplies in moderation. I know I need to monitor, but sometimes a momma has to walk away for a second and BAM!!...a year's supply of glitter..??? GONE!

I love 'em though, and other than a little speech, I handled it pretty well. I wish I had a picture of the mess in it's fullness. At least it was on a disposable table cloth.

I like this face---alot!!

 Almost forgot to say Happy Birthday to this little Lovie!!
Martha Kathryn is ONE!!!!!! Wow..I am so thankful for this sweet little girl!

Getting some hugs from her sweet big sister!

Spring Photos

 Watermelon eating contest!! Wish it didn't take a bazillion years to upload videos to blogger and you could see exactly how ridiculously competive Richard's children can be: )

 Jessie: Cutest Girl Ever!!!!

 Met this little married couple in front of a cool pizza hang out in our new neighborhood!!

 Dance Party!! Actually, a sweet friend's graduation party that turned into a dance party and Brown's never pass up a chance to dance: )

Who is this very hunky man with the cute baby? 

 Martha LOVES this photo of herself and her brubby Cole. She just cracks up and talks to this photo everytime she sees it. Sweet baby! Sweet boy!

 The Uganda Team!! Can't wait to see  God work!

 There he is again!! Hunky man! Also, this is our precious friend Leeola Arney.  It was great seeing friends in NC last month.

 Beautiful girl--inside and out.

 Beautiful girl----outside and in---Loving her some fudgsicle, but don't we all?

 Me and baby girl--my love: )

 Jessie concerned about Max!!

Sweeeet birthday girl.