{Keeping Up With Life}

Now that Kevin is working, it's time for me to kick into SAHM mode.  I kinda feel like I'm in the middle of a hurricane with no safety plan.  So, it's time to come up with one!  One of the biggest issues that I am facing is the chaos that is my house.  Clutter and mess give me a serious case of anxiety, but I also don't want to spend all of my time cleaning and organizing.  I did a little research (on Pinterest, of course) and found a nifty little chore chart for Mommies.  This is exactly what I need...a game plan.  This way, I have designated chores each day, and don't wind up overwhelmed and missing out on the fun stuff come Saturday.  Not to mention, the way this sounds, my house will always be clean!  That makes this Mommy very happy!  This is my version, dressed up a little bit...cause that's how I roll:

You can find the customizable/printable version HERE.  HERE is the blog post that shared this wonderful little tool.

I am doing a major clean and a crap-ton of laundry today so that I am ready to go on Monday.  Yay for getting it together!!!!  Now if I can just work on that exercising/showering everyday part.  Hmmmm...any helpful suggestions on how to motivate yourself to wake up at 5 AM???

{10 Reasons I REALLY Love My Husband}

1) He is a man who loves God and firmly believes that the life of his family should revolve around the church.

2) He would move heaven and earth, bend over backwards and act like a bloody idiot to make the boys and I happy.

3) He has made some mistakes in life (who hasn't?).  But he has owned up to them, learned from them, and is a better man because of them.

4) He gives me back rubs every night.  I know it's not his favorite thing to do, but he knows that massages are my love language and does it anyway.  He will never know how much I appreciate it and love him for it!

5) He is patient...with everything and everyone (especially me).  This is a God given gift, and I could really learn from my husband when it comes to this.

6) He can walk into a room and have a new friend within 5 minutes.  The Lord really knew what he was doing when he matched us up, because this is a real struggle of mine.  Despite what many people probably think, I am very shy and have a hard time walking into the unknown.  Kevin loves it...and he encourages me to push past my nerves and insecurities.  My life is so much more interesting because of him!

7) He is setting such a wonderful example for our children.  He has faced many a challenge and overcome, and he shares those stories with them.  He loves on them, has compassion for them, and teaches them how to do all of the boy things that are so foreign to their Momma.  But he also cooks with them, prays with them, and makes an extra effort to show them how to treat the girls in their life the right way.  He is showing them how to be Godly men...and I am so very grateful...because that's something that they should learn from their Daddy, but so often becomes the responsibility of the mother's out there.

8) My husband came with one exceptionally great family...immediate and extended.  I am so very blessed to call the whole Burtch/Champan clan my own.  I could not have dreamed up a better family to marry in to.

9) He's a great friend, and he has great friends.  He and his college buddies are more like brothers and they would do anything for each other.  Those guys have certainly come to my rescue on more than one occasion.  Kevin is also a great friend to me...the very best kind of friend.  He makes me laugh harder than anyone I have ever known.  He's honest with me, even when it's hard to be.  We have so much fun together.  In the words of Forest Gump...We're like peas and carrots!

10)  He's a dreamer, just like his wife.  We talk about all of the "what ifs" in life, big or small.  He goes after those dreams and makes them a reality.  He also knows when to fold em, regroup, and dream something new.  His biggest dreams are rarely for himself.  He's selfless like that.  I wish you could hear the heart of this man.  He's something really special. 

Now, I could go on for days about why I love Kevin.  But, when it comes down to it...these are the very reasons why I married him, and why I will spend my life loving him.  I am so proud to be his wife and I am so excited to have a front row seat to watch this man become the man that God intended him to be.

Kevin...you are my heart and I love you so!  Come  home quickly and safely.  We miss you!

{The Super Bowl For Girls}

I LOVE LA!  There is not much I dislike about the City of Angels, except that a lot of peoples' moral compasses seems to be a bit off kilter.  I got to go on a little 8 month adventure out west and do miss it.  I need a little weekend trip here soon if anyone's interested in joining!  That being said, I have walked the stairs to the Kodak Theatre (not sure how long it will retain that name) more times than I could count. 

My SIL Ashley, My MIL Brenda and Me on the stairs at the Kodak

View From The Street

I have seen many a red carpet.  This southern girl's never actually walked one, but they sure do look fun, and pretty and red!  Here are some shots of the Kung Fu Panda red carpet at Grauman's Chinese Theatre.  Ashley and I kinda accidentally stumbled upon it on our 2008 trip to LA.  As you can see, it's a madhouse! So much fun and chaos!  We walked up just as Jack Black was running across the street to sign some autographs.  There's a pic of him down there too! 

That's all super fun, but red carpets really mean just one thing to me...PRETTY DRESSES!  If you know me, then you know I LOVE clothes!  A beautiful dress will render me speechless.  This, and for no other reason (unless Reese Witherspoon or Sandra Bullock or anyone from The Help is nominated) , is why I love the Oscars.  You get to see these exquisite gowns displayed on living mannequins.  I love it!  I would kill to be Rachel Zoe assistant on Oscar Sunday.  Shoot, I'd hold her sunnies for free if she'd just let me come along for the ride!  As Kevin and I decided, Sunday was like the Super Bowl for girls...and it was a good one!  Here are some of my personal favorites (in random order):



Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen



Katie Holmes in Elie Saab

Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton

Nancy O'Dell - Not sure who designed this one, but I like it!

Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji (Curvy girls...this is how it's done!)

Sandra Bullock in Marchesa (They can do no wrong in my book - I love nothing more than a serious dress in the front with a back that takes your breath away!)

***ALL PHOTOS ARE COURTESY OF YAHOO MOVIES***

Girls...did you have any favorites?  I would love to hear about them!

{A Mother's Love For Her Son}

A Mother's Love For Her Son

By: Valerie Dupont

A mother's love for her son is pure and special.

It can not be broken or reckon with.

It's a kind of love that softens even the hardest of hearts.

Love between mother and son is strong and visible from the sea.

It brings peace of mind and dries sad tears.

It can bring a man to his knees and make him weep.

{Words to Live By}

I'm pretty sure these would do the trick!  Pink and Sparkly...YES, PLEASE!  I'm not sure where I would wear them, but looking at them everyday would make me super happy!!!

{Noah's Ark of a Different Kind}

Today, we got to go spend some time with friends at Noah's Ark Animal Rehabilitation Center.  If you've never heard of it or been there, it's such a great place with an even greater story.  We had so much fun that Hayden asked to take a nap as we were leaving.  That never happens, so it must have been a pretty good day in his book! I wish I could have gotten some good photos of the lions, tigers and bears, but those pesky fences got in my way!  My hubby gets home tonight from a week long work trip, so I heading to the kitchen to cook some dinner (shocker!).  Enjoy these photos from our day!!!

{Roller Coaster Ride}

"The same roller coaster that brought you to your nightmare, will bring you to your dreams."  Beth Moore

Photo Found HERE

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am doing a wonderful Beth Moore study called, James: Mercy Triumphs.  This has been very eye opening for me, as the first few weeks we have been learning about trials and adversity.  Mrs. Moore made the statement above the photo, and I quickly wrote it down, because the visual makes so much sense to me.

The last year has been a struggle, in so many ways, just as it's been absolutely wonderful.  We made the decision to move to GA from Florida because we just were not happy.  As wonderfully blessed as we were, we just knew that our life there was not right.  I know it sounds CRAZY!  We had very good jobs, a home of our own, friends, family, a wonderful church.  Yet, there were things that came up, behaviors and situations that Kevin and I put ourselves in, that really made it clear to us that our life in Florida was not what God had in mind.  That was not an easy notion to come by...at all!   My husband and I fought, cried, and prayed over some pretty serious emotional and physical struggles, before finally deciding that things had to change.  Frankly, the first half of last year was, by far, the most difficult season of my life. 

When we made the move to Georgia, for some reason, I thought that everything would magically get better.  POOF...No More Struggles!  I was wrong!  As a family, we struggled to acclimate to our new environment.  Kevin struggled to find a job.  We struggled to find a church home that would create a stirring in us, like Christ Fellowship did.  It was not easy!

But, somewhere along the way, this stressful, anxiety filled season morphed into one of the best things that has ever happened to me.  From anguish to absolute joy!  I have been able to watch my babies blossom and develop a very special brotherly bond.  My husband just landed the job of his dreams, which was initially on his 5 year plan.  I have kinda found myself again in all of the chaos.  We have been able to spend so much time together as a family...more than we ever would have in Florida.  And, to top it all off, we found a church that we love, one that has completely embraced us and encouraged us when we really needed it most.

We are blessed in the good and the bad.  Without the bad, I don't think we would have been brave enough to take a chance and ultimately find the good we were so desperately seeking.

If you are in a season of just plain difficult...I feel ya!  Been there / Done that! But take heart...it does get better.  Our Heavenly Father made that promise to us.  Stay faithful and praise Him in the good and in the bad!  Because after the trouble passes, the joy is sooooo much sweeter!!!!

"Then fix this firmly in your minds: You're going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You'll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness. "When a woman gives birth, she has a hard time, there's no getting around it. But when the baby is born, there is joy in the birth. This new life in the world wipes out memory of the pain. The sadness you have right now is similar to that pain, but the coming joy is also similar. When I see you again, you'll be full of joy, and it will be a joy no one can rob from you." John 16: 20-22 MSG

Have a lovely and blessed weekend, friends!