family night ~ camping

Last night our family night theme was 'camping'. It's February in North Carolina, so needless to say... we did our camping indoors! We started out the night making jiffy pop popcorn and 'smores over the campfire
(AKA the microwave & stovetop!).
We watched the movie Open Season 2 and ended the evening sleeping in (and all around!) the tent we had set up in the living room. We woke up this morning to pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon! What better way to end a camping trip?? The kids had a great time and I'd have to say that this was the easiest family night yet:)

love this group...

I love this group and this is one of those songs I could listen to over and over again, and it never seems to get old.... I found this video today and I thought it was so great, I wanted to share it with you:)

Week of Love ~ Part 3

So, I just realized that I totally forgot about finishing these posts during the week of Valentine's Day!..... at least, I had such great intentions....... Shall we continue?? My sweet Abigail Faith is up next! Oh, where do I begin?? I adore this child.... she is most definitely one of a kind and I consider myself blessed beyond measure that I have her in my life!

I LOVE the way she can take the foil leftover from a Qdoba burrito and make a cruise ship out of it! I LOVE the way she chews on her tongue when she's concentrating... I LOVE her little notes of love that I find all over the house. I LOVE that when I straighten up her bedroom, I can usually find at least 10 things that I know I threw in the trash that week! (She insists that nothing is truly trash, only a treasure undiscovered:) I LOVE her sweet, sweet spirit... She loves everyone and isn't afraid to tell them! I wish we all gave our love so freely. I LOVE that she is the peacemaker in our family..... She'll always be the first to say, "I'm sorry" or "I forgive you"...... I LOVE her love for reading..... I finally had to ask her to empty her backpack of all of the extra books she had in there. I was afraid she was going to start walking like an 80 year old woman with osteoporosis! I LOVE to hear her pray for other people..... She loves her Jesus and wants to share His love with the world:) I LOVE that she calls me "momma" and not mommy, or mom.... I don't know why that touches my heart so, but it gets to me every single time:)

meatballs & more

Yesterday morning, Rusty, Megan and I headed out to Charlotte's newest adult amusement park! IKEA:) We had so much fun! If you've never been to an IKEA store, be prepared to be overwhelmed....

The place is enormous.... I believe I heard it said that the store is as big as 6 football fields! They also say the average time you will spend shopping in an IKEA is two and a half to three hours.... Well, let me tell you ~ we arrived as soon as the store opened at 10:00 and pulled out of the parking lot a little after 1:30!! The place is so big, they have built a resturant in it! We had heard everyone rave about their swedish meatballs, so, of course, that's what all three of us had for lunch. We also had chocolate cake and a swedish apple cake that was totally yummy!!
It's amazing the amount of items you can buy at one store.... they have everthing from baby sippy cups, to bamboo plants, to mattresses and sofas! It was too much to take in on one day:) We will be heading back in a week or so... next time we're taking the kids so they can play in the kid's area ~ Oh, did I forget to mention that they have a kid's area, where your children can play (and not follow you around and whine why you look at every single item in the store) for FREE???!!! The kids that came out of the play area looked like they had so much fun. They had a clown doing face painting and balloon animals..... It took all I had to keep Rusty outta there!!

MCD

I am SO excited!!
I have been anticipating the release of this book for well over a year now. I first heard it mentioned on his blog, which then lead me to Anne's story. The first time I read the title and found out what this book was going to be about, I was hooked. I know most of you know our story..... My husband served on staff at a large church in Florida for 12 years... I was also on staff for about 10 of those years, on and off, in several different capacities. The first few years were wonderful. We both worked there, our children went to school there, all of our friends were there, basically, all of our relationships centered around our church. Somewhere along the way, I don't even remember when, things went south. Some weeks my husband was working 50 and 60 hours a week and we joked and called those 'slow weeks'. Slowly, but surely, we began to burn out..... Our church had a number of resources for the pastors and their wives, but you see, the problem was, my husband wasn't a pastor. Those resources, no matter how wonderful they were, were not for us. It's was hard for us to know how to deal with the stress of it all. Talking about it sounded so much like complaining. And really, what are you going to say??? Do you ask if all the programs were really worth the stress it brought on the staff?? Sounds selfish, doesn't it?? Don't get me wrong, I can't and don't blame the church.... The decisions we made, were our own. We loved the people and we loved the Lord.... but we were tired, burned out, fried.

That little detour brings me back to this book. The title is MAD CHURCH DISEASE - Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic. Do you see where I'm going with all this??? I am excited that there is finally a resource out there for those of us in the ministry (or married to someone who is:) One of the lines in this book that struck me right between the eyes, was a quote by Bill Hybels. It states that he once said that "the way I was doing the work of God was destroying the work of God in my life". Powerful stuff, huh? Rusty and I are commited to doing everything in our power to not allow that same burn out to invade our lives again. I'm sure I'll be sharing more of what I learn as I dig deeper into this book. Stay tuned!

happy 36th birthday!!

happy birthday, my handsome mountain man! i love you so.
if you get a chance, go here and send him some birthday wishes!!

family night ~ valentine's day

So, it's been a REALLY long time since we've had a themed family night....We've had lots of 'spur of the moment' family time in the past two months ~ but, for some reason, I just couldn't seem to get myself together enough to plan out a themed evening of fun:)
So, we started off slow tonight.

In honor of Valentine's Day, we had family night complete with heart shaped pizzas, a bit of bubbly (Cherry Sun Drop w/raspberry sherbet punch in fancy glasses) and strawberry cupcakes with chocolate hearts on top! I had big plans for us to make Valentine's for each other, have a daddy/daughters & momma/son dance and a "heart hunt" (like an egg hunt, but with hearts!!)
Unfortunately, I think I over planned the evening, and by the end of dinner, all 3 kiddos were on the couch with their jammies on. So, since tomorrow is actually Valentine's Day, we decided we'd save some of the fun for then!

Week of Love ~ Part 2

Paige's turn..... Here are a just a few of the things I love about her:)

I love the the smile on her face when she is surrounded by the chaos that only 10 preschoolers can bring to your Sunday morning:)

I love her willingness to help out with just about anything that is asked of her...

I also love her stubborn streak that runs a mile wide..... it reminds me that we are two peas in a pod!

I love when she asks me to flat iron her hair in the morning.... and we get a chance to chat about what the school day may hold for her.

I love when I see her back into her daddy's chest for a hug.... she thinks she's too big to actually 'ask' for one:)

I love her passion for serving others.... and pray that she never loses it.

I love how she laughs at her daddy's silly jokes (hey, someone's got to!)

I love watching her grow into the amazing young woman that God is calling her to be!


There is a special place in my heart for my firstborn.... Maybe it's all the trials and errors we've had together.... both of us trying to 'get it right"..... She is such a precious gift, and I am so blessed to be her mom!

Now it's your turn ~ tell me one thing you LOVE about your oldest!

Week of Love ~ Part 1

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought we'd have a week of "love" here @ theburchardbunch. (I have to admit that I borrowed this idea from a fellow blogger.... it was too great an idea to pass up!) So, for the next few days, I'm going to share a few of the things I love about my hubby and our kiddos:) and lucky Rusty, today, it's his turn! So here it goes....

I love the way his hair curls up behind his ears when he wears a hat.

I love the way he winks at me from across the room.

I love Saturday mornings and his pancake breakfasts.

I love that whenever I smell popcorn, I think of him.

I love listening to his voice when he prays every morning.

I love when he finds me on Facebook and starts a chat with the words,"Hey Sexy!"

I love the dimple he has in his chin (although I haven't seen it in months due to his 'winter beard')

I love walking into Ridge, seeing him standing behind that sound board, or up on the stage, and the smile he has on his face....and knowing how happy he truly is.

I love the way he loves our children.....and how they all think they're daddy's favorite!

I love Fridays and our "date day" and how I always know that for those 6 hours, it's just us.....

I love how he hits the snooze button every morning, then rolls over and puts his arm around me.



Now it's your turn.... Tell me what you love most about your significant other :)

71 and Topless

Today was absolutely beautiful! 71 degrees and sunny..... I had almost forgotten how good the sun feels on my skin. Rusty and I surprised the kids by picking them up from school in Daddy's Jeep... with the top off! Rusty could hardly stand it:) Two days with temps in the low 70's gave him the "bug" and he stripped the Jeep..... Unfortunately it is suppose to rain sometime tomorrow.... I guess the top will have to be going back on soon..... Sorry honey!!

friday funnies

A friend of mine sent these to me and I thought they were way too funny not to share with all of you! Happy Friday:)

25 Random Things about Me

So far I've been tagged about 12 times on Facebook to do this. So... since I went through all the trouble of coming up with 25 random (or maybe, not so random:) things about myself, I decided to share it here with you! No, not really~ I'm just too lazy to come up with anything else worth reading.

1. I was born in North Miami Beach, Florida and lived there until I was 15.

2. I met Rusty while wearing a bikini, twirling a baton and standing in the median of a highway.... long story!

3. I LOVE taking pictures. My iphoto cache has 8652 pictures on it right now and that's only since 6/07!

4. I was on an episode of Miami Vice when I was 10. I was an extra and the episode I was on was filmed at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant..... Explains a lot doesn't it?? BTW: If you happen to blink at just the right moment... you'll miss me:)

5. I was a competitive gymnast until I tore a tendon in my ankle and was on crutches for 2 months. During that time my grandfather took me to physical therapy at the Miami Dolphins training center. One of the many perks of being his granddaughter!

6. I started blogging when we moved to North Carolina as a way to keep in touch with family friends. I usually don't have anything worth reading, but I love writing down my thoughts, however random they may be:)

7. I love horses and my dream is to one day have one (or maybe 2, or 3...) of my own.

8. I am addicted to my Mac. I actually have withdrawal when I am away from it too long! Sad, huh??

9. I love the sound my phone makes when I receive a text! Especially from Rusty:)

10. I have always wanted a tattoo (It's on my to-do list for this year!) Any creative friends out there that wanna draw me a cross???

11. I love buying shoes..... Not sure how many pairs I've owned over the years. I get the same "warm feeling" when I walk into a shoe store that I get when I walk into a Starbucks:)

12. A sure sign that my house is clean is a candle burning in every room. Not sure why I do it, but I can't bring myself to light them until I'm finished cleaning.

13. I have 3 younger brothers and two of them are named John. Another long story...

14. I read all four of the Twilight books in 10 days.

15. I would love to have another baby..... praying about adopting....soon.

16. My sister is my best friend and even though we have lived in different states for a year and a half now... we still talk everyday.. sometimes 2 or 3 times a day:)

17. I have a crush on Louie Giglio.... I think it's the gray hair!

18. One of my favorite shows is "iCarly".... but don't tell my kids. They think I'm a cool mom 'cause I've let them watch every episode! Spencer is hysterical.

19. I am obsessed with counting my kids when we are in the car. As soon as everyone is buckled up, I count...1.2.3. then, a few miles down the road....1.2.3 again....and then... well, you get the picture! Maybe too many years in preschool ministry??

20. I can twirl fire and knives.... so don't mess with me! lol

21. I am a horrible typist... I have typed all of this using my thumbs and pointer fingers... mostly on my right hand:) Believe it or not, I'm pretty quick with those 4 fingers!

22. I was the Florida State Solo baton champion and competed in the Nationals at Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. There's a huge trophy somewhere to prove it!

23. My husband and I moved to Charlotte to be part of a church plant. Who ever thought that my name and 'church planter' could be in the same sentence?? God is so good!

24. I LOVE Ridge Church and the people that call it their home! I am so blessed to be part of such an amazing church full of such passionate people! Ridge Church Rocks!!

25. I am married to the most amazing man. I know everyone thinks their husband is the best... but I truly believe mine is! He is amazing but I have to admit that it does make me a little sick how creative he can be.... He can make anything out of nothing and make it look spectacular!
30' Productions rocks:)