YO! GABBA GABBA

All I can say about this show is , "Oh my dear Lord." What have we become? Seriously. My kids and I have been seeing commercials for this mysterious show on Nick Jr. for the past month. My girls were captivated by the ads from the get go. So much so that they would rewind the DVR over and over again so they could sing "Party in my tummy" one more time. It just started airing this week and already my girls are hooked. Heck, I'm hooked. This is, hands down, the most insane, freakazoid, creative, entertaining, crack-inspired kids show I have ever seen in my life. Anything else you've ever seen? Forget it. Teletubbies? Mere child's play compared to this show. Banana Splits? More like Banana Splats. I haven't quite yet figured out what the heck this show is supposed to be about. It's basically a tribute to all things pop culture packaged in electric neon candy-coated colors and hip hop music stuffed in a half hour segment. It's sort of what I would imagine to resemble a kid's version of Hell. And yes, that is Biz Markie in the ad. Today's episode featured Hector Jimenez, or "Esqueleto", from Nacho Libre. I'm completely not kidding about any of this. Do yourself a favor and watch this show. You'll thank me (or quite possibly hate me) for it later.

Facebook

I have a confession to make. I've been unfaithful. Blogger's gonna be so mad. I have been secretly involved with Facebook. He's a lot more exciting than Blogger. Blogger's just so...so...quiet. He doesn't say much. I give and give and give, and he really just doesn't give a whole lot back. Our relationship is just so one-sided. Every time I go out with Facebook, however, there's a note waiting for me, here and there. An invitation to join his Pirate Army. A song dedication. Like little gifts. He's much more responsive to my needs.

I'm not totally giving up on Blogger, though. I don't know where this relationship with Facebook is going. I'm just having a lot of fun right now. And I want to invite each and every one of you to come and meet my new friend, Facebook. You'll love him, too. I just know it.

(Oh, and don't forget to request me as a friend! Anyone can join!)

Fusion Church Ladies Retreat

Well, we just wrapped up another successful Ladies Retreat at our church. The material we based the retreat around was the Beth Moore study called Loving Well. It was such a great idea for a retreat. The foundational teaching of the study was basically that in order to love well (those around us), we need to first be well loved (by God). It's such a basic and simple truth, but one that is so easy to forget and to neglect. I think it's especially difficult for women. We love to serve, don't we, ladies? We can pour out and pour out until we have absolutely nothing left to give. We must remember to constantly draw from the Living Well, so that we can go on loving well.

Anyway, I'm still reeling from all of Beth's teachings. She's such an excellent teacher. Mainly, though, I was so blessed by all the women on this retreat. I looked around at one point at all the women at this retreat. Many of these women didn't know God when they first came to Mill Creek. But I've seen, firsthand, what God can do to a person's heart. These women are loving, giving, and serving like I've never witnessed before in my life. These women's lives are changed and they live their lives giving glory to the One who's forever changed them. The precious ladies at our church are evidence of the love and grace and power of an amazing Savior. Glory to God!

God bless you, Ladies of Fusion Church! Thank you for another awesome and amazing retreat!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

So, for the past few weeks, we have been making several announcements at our church. We are shaking things up at Mill Creek! I am so excited about what God is doing. I can't wait to see it all come to pass. First, we are moving. We will no longer be meeting at the Mall of Georgia Regal Theaters. Beginning August 12, we'll be meeting at North Gwinnett High School in Suwannee. Now, back when I was in high school, we gathered in a boring old auditorium. Some of you are probably old enough to have had stages built into the cafeteria when you were in high school. Well, those days are long gone. This high school has a $5 million theater that we'll be using, with intelligent lighting, a sound system, and a lot of other cool, high-tech things I don't fully understand. August 5 is our last day at the MOG. I am really looking forward to the move. So, if you ever find yourself in Suwannee, swing by. Our services are at 9:30 and 11:00, starting on August 12.

Also, the above picture is not just some random hip, cool name for a church. It's OUR new name. Yep. As of today, we are no longer Mill Creek Community Church. We are calling ourselves Fusion Church. Yeah, I said it. Jealous? I bet you wish you were going to a church called Fusion Church. I do. Oh wait...I do go to that church!

Go Simpsonize Yourself

So, I saw this on my friend Doug's site. Too much fun. I knew too many Simpsons fans that would appreciate this, so I had to share it. Apparently, you too can be a Simpson. This is what I would look like if I were a resident of Springfield:

I must admit, it doesn't really look like me. I think it's actually a bit too flattering. I'm really not this hot in real life.

More on Tolerance

In light of recent musings on Sinead and whatnot, this post by Nancy Beach really echoed a lot of what I was trying to say, albeit not quite as eloquent! For those of you that don't know her, Nancy serves at Willow Creek in Barrington, Illinois. She's a pretty impressive woman, in my book, and I really respect her ideas on faith, the Church, and art in the church. I hope you enjoy the post as much as I did.

The Bane of My Existence

Here it is, folks. My couch. I have this hate/hate relationship with my sofa. It bothers me like nothing else does. I try not to look at it anymore. I pretend it doesn't exist. I refuse to even sit on it. I try to avoid it at all costs. But there it sits. Staring at me. Taunting me with its hideousness.

Allow me to vent a little bit about this piece of crap that we own. Yes, that's how strongly I feel about this...this...thing that graces my living room. One of the first things that people see when they walk into my house...is this beauty. First of all, I married into this couch, okay. I didn't select it for myself. It belonged to my husband and his sister first. Now, I am sure that when they chose it--11 blasted years ago--it had at least some semblance of a shape. Now, it reminds me of a dirty pair of crumpled gray and black socks that sits in the middle of my living room. It sits really low to the ground, so your knees sort of come up to your ears--reminiscent of the birthing position. And 3/4 of your leg is hanging off the seat. Also, the back cushions have absolutely no shape to them, so I am constantly trying to fluff them or beat them into submission. And when I say "beat" I'm not exaggerating. It always starts innocent enough. I walk--daily, I might add--over to the couch to merely fluff a cushion or two...Then minutes later I find myself crying, speaking in unknown tongues, sweating profusely, fists pounding in a fury, with my daughters looking on in complete astonishment. Now you understand why I avoid it like the plague.

I told Ren just tonight that I believe our couch is affecting our marriage. I don't sit with him on it anymore. I take the recliner, and he suffers--alone--on the couch. It looks like something that would belong in a frat house. Seriously. Do I deserve this?

So, if you feel so inclined to contribute to the Buckland Family Couch Fund, feel free to email me, leave me comments, etc. We take checks, cash, and credit cards. Heck, I'll even trade sofas with you. Your sofa can't be as ugly as mine.