God has to have a sense of humor...

Why?  Because animals are cute!!  Yes, animals have purposes... to feed, to protect, to carry, to pull , and to look cute!!  Why am I thinking about this today?  Well, because we caught a pig! Finally!!!  We got the right mixture of foods in the right cage and got a pig! I walked with Hubby up to the trap and my first comment was "Aww, she's cute!" He still doesn't believe that I'll turn her into a delicious dinner.... BUT, I've learned over the years that well, God didn't make ugly things... Some things aren't as pretty as others, but He covered His Earth in things that were pleasing to His eye!

She's a pretty girl... and she'll be awfully yummy!  Thank you Lord for your provision!

The Holidays have ARRIVED!!!

It's official, the holidays are here!  Technically, Thanksgiving has passed, but we still have so much to be thankful for.  The start to the Holiday season at our house has always been daddy playing Santa Claus for a local elementary school.

The Hippo was NOT fooled by the suit. She knew that was her daddy!

Thanksgiving came quickly this year, and went by just as quickly...

And somehow... this is the only picture I took, and it's even from Wednesday!!  LOL.  Bubba and the Hippo had to help me organize my baking cabinet so that I could get pies and cupcakes made :-).  They're such good helpers, can't you tell?

Thursday was amazing.  I cooked a lot, and hubby cooked even more!  It was the first year we've really split the cooking and I highly recommend it!  The best part of Thursday was opening the door for my Aunt and Uncle who I knew were coming in from out of town and finding my cousin and his three kids standing outside too!  What a fantastic surprise.  (Sad part, his wife had to work... thank a nurse next time you see one for sacrificing time with their families to make sure you stay healthy!)

Black Friday... well, we go shopping when everyone else is heading home.  So we picked up a few deals, bought some family movies, and generally enjoyed the madness.  We also baited a hog trap and had family movie night :-).

The Birthday Princess and a little sister!

The Hippo decided that there was too much excitement... and took a nap!

Saturday came with the big princess' birthday party.  I cannot believe she turned 8 today (12/3)... Her birthday party was all her plan... pink, camo, princess, cowboy, western. Complete with a strawberry flavor cactus cake!  It was a great day with just a few close friends and family... Thank you... to all who came to celebrate with us.

The Strawberry flavored cactus cake.

Sunday found us at church celebrating knowing that we will soon be celebrating the birth of our Christ!

Monday (Yesterday) Christmas decorations came out.  Our rule is that we don't decorate until after the Princess' birthday has been thoroughly celebrated.

 Today... Hubby is taking care of cutting the grass in preparation for decorating the outside of the house... I am SO excited.  I love Christmas!  I just wish that more people knew the Magic of Christmas all through the year.

In other news... visit our Facebook Page for amazing sales and deals!

Making Our Dream a Reality!

I'm working today on streamlining our business ventures.  I want to make the Burch Family Homestead a reality.  We will only be able to that by applying ourselves and really working for it.  I mean, in reality, yes, we could make a gofundme site, we could attempt to win the lottery, we could stop paying our bills and save that money to find a down payment faster, but we'll do this our way.  Our way is harder, but it will mean more in the long run, it will teach our children how to work towards something, and that is one of our goals as parents, to raise children that do for themselves, that don't look for handouts, who know the value of a hard day's work.

The kiddos that God has given to us to raise!  We're praying we do something right!!

For those who don't know us personally, or are just getting to know us, or even who just haven't realized just how crazy we are... I want to tell you about some of the things we will hire ourselves out for :-)... then you know, and you can tell your friends!  All side jobs that we do, any profit is going straight to our down payment fund.

Auctioneer.  Hubby is a trained, licensed auctioneer in the state of Florida.  (AU3366)  He has an extensive background in antiques and collectibles.

Yes, Hannah was having a day and needed her daddy... She loves to hear him at an auction!

Avon.  I sell Avon :-).  I like looking put together when I venture outside of our house.  I like it even better that it's actually affordable.  Avon is changing with the times, and your Avon lady doesn't have to be next door anymore.  Anyone can order online through my website and have your makeup delivered to your doorstep!!  Check back often for new brochures and special deals, and free shipping offers!!

Baking.  Any baked goods in our home are for sale!  If you need a specialty cake, a homemade pie, or even just some homemade banana bread, get in touch with me and we'll figure out an agreeable price for both of us!

These were cupcakes for Hubby's Youth Football teams end of season party! Confetti Cake with homemade buttercream frosting and a Chocolate Shark lollipop... complete with their jersey numbers!

doTerra.  I also sell doTerra essential oils, oil blends, oil based cleansing products, spa products and oil accessories.  Essential oils have been used for various purposes throughout history.  From disinfecting surfaces and medicinal uses to just smelling good and therefore enhancing your mood, essential oils have been used by every people group throughout history in one way or another.  doTerra oils and products are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade and tested regularly to maintain their purest form. You can find more information on doTerra and ordering at my website.

Estate Sales. Hubby and I work as a fantastic team!  We are available to set up and sell for you so that you can enjoy your weekend!  We work on a percentage of sales, for sales big and small!

Event Staffing.  Hubby and I both have training and experience in bulk foods, service, crowd control and bartending.  From ordering, to preparation and serving, we are your people!  Any kind of event, we can handle it, and have friends that we can call in to work with us if your event requires more than a staff of 2!

Hog Trapping.  We are loving working together as a family to trap hogs.  If you have a hog problem We are the family to take care of it for you!

The tracks of the hog we're currently working to capture!

Is there anything else you can think of that you need done?  We can handle pretty much anything... find us on facebook at The Busy Burches to contact us for whatever job you have for us!

I Stand Amazed

The old song says, "I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned unclean."  As we've been trying to help a family with a hog problem on their property, I have again been reminded how truly amazing God is.  Think about it... God created a world for us to live in. On this planet He created life cycles, food chains, all of nature sings to His glory.

This morning's reason for standing amazed is simple.  We set a hog trap.  It's a solid trap, about 4 ft tall and 6 ft wide... and big enough to hold a FEW hogs.  We got a text message that the door was closed, but there was nothing in the trap, so we went to check it out.  When we looked, we saw that the plate that our bait was set on was torn up, the trap door was shut, and there was no pig?!  What?!  U[on further inspection, the pig we caught was big and mean.  It's tracks that we found made my size 9 1/2s look SMALL.  This pig had busted out the side of the trap we set.  Now this trap is very sturdy, 1/4" fencing stapled to a 2x4 frame.  And this pig ripped the fencing nails out, and pushed the caging back so that it could escape!  I cannot wait to get this pig.  It's going to be especially yummy :-)!

And yes... I know that I need a pedicure... lol. It'll wait til I get around to it!

The only Bible some people ever read...

I've heard the phrase all my live.  "Live your life as a follower of Christ, so that others might see Christ through you, you are the only Bible some people will ever read."

I haven't always been a good example.  I've failed.  I've fallen.  I still fail.  I still show people that I am human, but that's not what I want.

I'm on a mission.

A mission to follow Christ only.  Completely.  In everything.

I hear it all the time that people don't know how I can handle having 4 children, or how I can get done all that I do with all the kids... and there's only way I can do it all, it's because of Christ.  In Philippians, Paul told the Christians at Philippi that he could do ALL things, through Christ who strengthened him.  This needs to be me.  Why is it so hard that when people mention to me how busy I am, I get irritated with them, instead of simply saying that I can do ALL things, because of Christ who is my strength?  Yes, I get irritated, people rarely count my children and shake their head and are amazed that I ahve them all at the grocery store, unless they're having out of character moments and everyone is acting a fool for the day.  People don't seem to notice on normal shopping trips when everyone is pretty well behaved and we're having an easy shopping day.

A preacher I've listened to recently put it this way... good wine comes from good grapes, bitter wine comes from bitter grapes.  Christ told us in Matthew that we will be known by our fruit.  Galatians explains to us that that fruit is the fruit of the Spirit.. love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. In John 15:5-8, Christ said, "I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.  IF you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples.

So what is your flavor?  When you, as a Christian, when I, a Christian, am "squeezed", what flavor do I produce... a good sweet wine, a bitter taste, an unripened fruit?  What reaction do I have to trials and tribulations and LIFE?  How can I better show Christ to those around me.

For those who have been around when I personally have been "squeezed" and have not reacted in a Christian way, I apologize.  Please forgive me, and pray for me, as I strive and struggle every day to live abiding in my Christ and producing fruits that please Him.

Homesteading

I'm admitting it now for EVERYONE to hear, well read... I dream of owning a homestead.  By homestead, I don't mean a big house that our family for generations will call the "family home", although that's a part of my dream.  I dream of having acreage enough to raise all our own food.  A garden, livestock, horses to work the livestock, chickens for eggs and meat, hogs for meat, goats for milk... I hear it's great!, and being as much "off the grid" as we can be.  I know, those of you who have known me forever, and a few that have recently become friends think I"m crazy.  Well, I've never been accused of being sane!
  My dream really wouldn't require THAT much land... unless of course we bought enough that our children could eventually build their own houses on the outlying edges of the land and really turn it into a "family home".  I don't want a full blown farm, well, I do, but just enough of one to sustain us, not the entire town!
It's funny though, as I think about a Burch Farm... I think, well, besides the food thing, we're not that far away from it!  The people I've admitted this dream to in real life have said, "Well, you've got enough kids to work a farm" and well, that's true; and they're used to mommy's crazy chores and having to help with the family matters, not just their own.  As for getting started on our way... we already cloth diaper... I"m working on making us not reliant on disposable products, starting, and probably ending, with normal things... like not using paper towels and napkins :-), but using reusable whenever we can... I've got a decent stockpile of clothes for the kids... and mend what I can and shop CHEAP for what I can't.  It's finally cooling off enough outside that I feel comfortable hanging clothes out to dry, and not feeling like I"m baking them dry!  I cook the majority of our food from scratch, and have a decent stockpile, but I would LOVE to go outside and pick fresh produce rather than having to run to the grocery store!
Well, I know, that was really horribly written - grammatically and trying to follow my train of thought, and for that, I am sorry... but my brain is wandering and with the way I feel right now, I'm not at all going to try to make sense.

LOL and the entire reason that I sat down to write this was the realization that I haven't purchased laundry detergent in a almost a YEAR!  At least 9 months... I realized today as I though about how low my detergent was and that I needed to make a new batch, exactly how much I've changed.  I was standing, thinking about how I feel awful, but I needed to make detergent, so I did. Instead of my old self whining and running to the store for whatever I could find on sale!  I wonder how much money I really save between detergent and diapers... I bet it's a lot...

Must go rescue the house from the one year old... she's on a terrorizing spree today!

WOW.

I knew I was slacking on blogging, but JEESH! Somebody could've told me I hadn't written anything since SEPTEMBER!!  Well, then again, I guess football season really did take over.  Season's over for a while now... so hopefully there will be some time to breathe!  Here are some quick updates on life...

Faith.
We've found our church.  We will be joining Community Baptist Church in Sebastian.  It's a small church with a big heart and not only for missions, but for each other.  We missed this Sunday because I was sick, and I seriously feel like I missed out, like there's something missing from me this week.  It's great to have that feeling...

Family.
We're gearing up for Leaky's 8th birthday.  Yup, I said it, my second child is turning 8!  I'm not ready for this... Everyone is growing so much, except for Bubba... he's staying mostly the same... lol.

Gratuitous cute kid and daddy picture... since I can :-)

We're also gearing up for the Holiday Season!  My favorite time of the year!!  If you're local and need some baking done for you... please use this form to order your favorite baked goods :-)!

It's crazy all the things I do now that I thought I'd never do... have kids (I really don't have any patience...), bake (for our family and for others), cloth diaper (ewww! LOL), make my own laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent, meal plan, cook 90% of our food FROM SCRATCH... it's nuts to think that I was the girl in High School who wanted an education and a career, and never really thought about having a family, much less a LARGE family and dreams of a homestead with farm :-)!

Football.

Our seasons are over.  Bubba's team lost in the first round of playoffs... it was quite the game.  I"m not a proponent of every kid playing jsut so they get playing time, but I got in a fight with the hubby on the sidelines, because Bubba wasn't in the game, didn't get any playing time, the game was in the 4th quarter and the team's biggest problem was that the child playing the position that Bubba excels at, was playing like CRAP!  Ugh.  Yeah, 3 quarters of the center (who wasn't Bubba) snapping over the head of whoever he was snapping to (this is youth football after all, so direct snaps happen more than you'd think ;-)) and this momma bear got TICKED OFF!  So I finally said something about it, to Hubby, who was on the sidelines, which finally got the attention of the head coach... who finally (in the 4th quarter) put Bubba in the game at Center... and HOLY CANNOLI! The offense was finally able to put some yards on the field!  I guess I should have said something in the 1st Quarter if we wanted a chance to win the game!  BUT, what's done is done, and that season is over except for the End of Season Party and Award Ceremony.

The High School season did not end on a high note... but one of my favorite players broke his 1,000 yard mark on the season, so that counts for something!  Those kids have become like extensions of our family too... it can't really be a bad thing for our girls to have that many Big Protective Brothers?!  RIGHT?!

Well, I guess that's about all the update there is!