Turning brown

Summer is in full swing here at the Loudon's it's hot and our days are lived at the pool. We are all looking well browned, maybe a little to brown.

My friend Debbie was reading to her children about Noah and how after the flood they were the only people left on the earth and God told them to repopulate the earth. So her oldest asked the obvious question "so everybody comes from Noah?" Yes says Deb, "well what about black people where do they come from"...dreaded question. So Deb takes them to answers in Genesis which shows how all people have the same DNA even though skin tones vary and skin color is really an adaptation to environment in which these people settled. So our differences are a result of our bodies adjusting to the environment over time.

C ponders this for a moment and says..."Don't you think Mrs. Pam has gotten darker since we've known her?" Guess I better start using some more sunscreen!

Look what we found

With summer on the way here in Birmingham our vegetable garden is in full production. We have enjoyed lettuces, peas, beets, and carrots but my favorite of all times to harvest has been the potatoes.


Last week Ella and I dug around the potato plants in search of potatoes imagine the excitement as we found beautiful red potatoes. "I found one mommy" Ella shouted "me too" I chimed in and another...from all the excitement and shouts you would think we had discovered a cache of rubies in our backyard. And as I'm in the backyard digging out my dinner I have that Gone with the Wind moment "God as my witness I'll never go hungry again" Sometimes I wonder what world I live in...but I like it where something as simple as digging potatoes can bring joy, excitement and inspiration. Who knew potatoes could be so much fun!

Catching up

For the next week or so I am childless Caleb and Ella have gone to Arkansas to spend some time with the grandparents. This was not an easy thing for me to do, but I decided it is important for both the children and the grandparents.


So this has become my time to play catch up on all those things that have been pushed aside for so long and so here I sit at the computer with a quick update on our lives and all the things we have been up to in the last month, it is also a time to think about my kids and how much I love them.

Ella had her little recital last month and she did a great job, she has enjoyed ballet so much this year and it has been just too cute to watch. Of course the day before her recital she fell running down the hill and bashed her lip just in time for pictures that's always the way it goes.



Caleb has decided he wants to learn to skate....imagine his fathers pride! For those of you who may not know back in the day Dan was BIG in skating, taught skating, organized skating groups and promoted skating and roller hockey. So like father like son!


So he has been practicing on Jimmy's drive and he is getting much better, I love to see Dan get out and just play with the kids.





of course Ella's in on the action



I love to see Dan on skates...it reminds me of the guy I first fell in love with



Of course it was mom that put on the helmet!
So now my blogging is caught up...what's next?

life on the farm uhhh in the city

Although we live in the heart of the city we have turned our little spot into an urban homestead. This spring we have added 3 new chicks to the 3 hens we already have who are still producing 3 eggs a day.

We have just added bees, as Dan's project he is learning bee keeping from a neighbor. It is funny how people react when you tell then you are getting bees, they are either excited and think it's interesting or they are slightly freaked out. We have had to assure all our neighbors these are honey bees they mind their own business and won't bother you if you don't bother them. They are not attack killer bees!
Here Dan is checking the hives the filling in of the frames is called Brood or baby bees.

It's the bee man...before he got his full bee suit
Dan smoking the hives to check the progress

Victim of crime

With the economy in a downward spiral our neighborhood has experienced a new wave of crime. Instead of breaking into homes and stealing electronics and such people have stealing porch furniture and planters things that are outside and easy to throw in the back of a truck and go. So far our street has not been directly hit...until today!





Today I came home from taking Caleb to school as I drove into the yard I noticed what was missing...my peony! Yes two years ago I planted peonies and have eagerly waited their first bloom and this year to my excitement I had a bud. I've watched it form and just couldn't wait for it to open, so you can imagine my disgust when I found it missing. First I thought Dan had cut it and given it away so I promptly called him at work only to find out he did not know it was missing. Upon a close investigation I found they not only took my bloom but the stand that held it up. Dan's advice was "just imagine the joy it is giving someone" well I can't I am on the lookout for the culprit and when I find him or her I will promptly poke him in the eye. Crime will not be tolerated on this street!






Fortunately I did have another bloom that broke off and I brought into the house, so if you see a flower that looks just like this give me a call so I can catch our peony thief this is an unforgivable crime!

No Spirit of '76

For Ella's 4th birthday we decided to get Ella her own girlie bike, until now she has been riding Caleb's old yellow very boy bike.

Ella's new bike is pink and purple with princesses all over it and tassels on the handle bars, it's the ultimate girlie girl bike and Ella loves it! When I went to Wal-Mart I was tempted to buy the cheaper girl bike the Seastar it too was pink and purple but instead of princesses it has a star fish and was no where as cool as the princess bike, but the $20 savings appealed to the frugal side of me.

After considering it for just a moment the memory of Dan's most disappointing Christmas ever came to mind. He was like 8 years old and had been asking for a bike, well on Christmas morning his dad rolls out this cool tough black bike called something like the black widow and he was beyond excited about how good he was going to look on HIS bike. Much to his dismay it was not for him but for his older brother, then out comes HIS bike red, white, and blue with a banana seat and tassels from the handle bars...the Spirit of '76... not at all cool!

So as I fight my cheapness I remember the Spirit of '76 and the answer is clear, princesses are worth the extra $20, besides if I had gotten the Seastar Dan would have taken it back that night for the Princess bike...those scars never fade!

Ella is now a biker chick it's all she wants to do!

On this day

Four years ago today Ella was born and what a day that was, I can't help but remember the events of that day every year. Here we are four years later and I can't believe how quickly it has gone by,Ella has grown into such a cute and funny little girl I just love every moment I have with her.

Last week I told her I would make what ever she wanted for her birthday dinner or we could go out to where ever she wanted so what did she pick....Olive Garden!

Guess what's for dinner tonight?

Four things I love about Ella on her 4th birthday

1) she is allll girl

2) her deep belly laughs crack me up every time

3) she loves to be in the middle of whatever I am doing cooking, cleaning, weeding she's a great helper

4) I love how she comes up and says " I love you mom" at random times during the day

I Love my sweet "baby" girl!