Libby's Camp In: Turning Eight Is Oh So Great

She did it; she is officially eight. 

And that, my friends, it worth celebrating. 

And eight-year-olds like slumber parties....at least mine does. 

And eight-year-olds like camping...the kind without tents and with air-conditioning. 

So, let's take a little peek at the grand adventure I like to call Libby's Camp In. 

First, the invites: 

The party table, complete with favors, yummy snacks, and cake decorating supplies: 

I kept the treats simple since we were also having pizza. 

Three treats were all she wrote: s'mores, cake balls, and dirt cake in mason jars. 

Super easy and glad I didn't make more...we'll be eating cake pops all week. 

Since I didn't want the girls playing with fire, I premade s'mores with marshmallow cream and melted chocolate and then added some sprinkles for fun. Everything is better with sprinkles, don't you know? 

And then the cake balls got a little extra attention as well. I always try to incorporate the birthday girl's age into her party decor somehow. 

You may recall that two years ago, Libby had a cake decorating party.  It was the party to top all parties. And since we live in a new town now, Libby wanted her new friends to decorate cakes too. Fine by me.

 But to stick with the theme I picked treats that kept with the camping vibe:

-Swedish fish

-gummy worms

-green sprinkles (grass)

-colored sprinkles (flowers)

-animal crackers

-pretzels (trees or logs)

The girls LOVED it! I highly recommend this for your daughter's next birthday. It's easy and fun and can be done by virtually any age and made to match pretty much any theme. 

The dirt cake was the highlight of the party. AND Libby made it all by herself. We'll call it her contribution. She simply layered crushed Oreo's and chocolate pudding and them stuck some gummy worms in for fun. The girls LOVED it.....especially the whole eating worms part. 

For favors, I turned to my Silhouette and did a little vinyl cutting. I found these adorable pink flashlights at... are you ready for it? THE DOLLAR TREE! The girls LOVED them, and the water bottles made it easy to tell which drink belonged to which girl all night. 

I then whipped up this little number, also with vinyl. 

The birthday girl loved everything about her first slumber party. 

And this may possibly be my favorite picture EVER of Libby....it fits her personality to a tee. 

The girls were so creative with their cakes!

They used icing and sprinkles and pretzels to make trees. 

And I cut a vinyl letter for each girl and sent their cakes home in cake boxes. 

There was pizza. 

There were sprinkles.

There was lots of glitter, and screaming, and Taylor Swift.

About the only thing missing from this party was sleep....there wasn't much of that. 

If you need me, I'll be scrubbing glitter off my floors 'til the end of time. 

Happy Monday to you. 

Oh, and congrats to KRISTEN MILLICAN! 

You won my Noonday giveaway. 

Linking here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. 

That's a heck of a lot of linking, if you know what I mean.

Style Your Friends, Change the World

"...when you satisfy the needs of the oppressed, your night will become like the noonday."

Isaiah 58:10

God is doing great things and opening huge doors in my life.
Let me tell you a little bit about what He's done lately. 

You may have heard that I'm interning with Clean Water for Malawi, a non-profit that works to dig wells and provide clean water for the people of Malawi. 

And I love it. 

I could not imagine being more excited about something. It allows me to use my gifts to serve others, which you know relates directly to 1 Peter 4:10, my life verse. 

And I have a chance to go back to Africa with them, possibly very soon (like next month--AHHHHH!), which I've been yearning to do since returning home in July. 

But in the meantime, I have to do more. 

God has opened my eyes to the needs of others, 

and I can't pretend that I don't know what they are dealing with and living through each day. 

So I've been praying hard and out how I can do more, how I can get out there and inform others about what's going on in the world around them, how I can make even a small difference to change the life of even one man, woman, or child. 

And then, I found Noonday. 

Noonday is a company that works to provide jobs for artists around the world, giving them stable incomes that help to alleviate poverty for them and their families. 

Noonday is changing the lives of artists who are using their gifts to better their lives. 

And I am so proud and excited to be a part of it. 

Take a look at a few of the beautiful pieces these artists are producing: 

Oh my stars, I could stare at their beautiful products all day. 

And not only does Noonday help to change the lives of artists, but they are huge supporters of orphan care and adoption, something that is very dear to my heart. And Noonday gives people a chance to raise some of the funds needed to bring their little ones home, something that truly makes my heart smile.

Here is just one example of the way Noonday is working to change lives: 

I am so proud and honored to be the first (and currently the ONLY) Noonday Ambassador in the great state of Mississippi. I can't wait to get into people's homes and share about changing the world one artist at a time. I WOULD love to talk to you more about Noonday or to come and host a trunk show in your home; you can be a part of the solution. 

And to kick start my adventure as a Noonday Ambassador, how about a little giveaway? 

Beloved friends, I give you the riverbed bracelet in turquoise. 

And here's the story behind it: 

OK, so here's the scoop on how to enter. 

Lots of options; do what works for you. 

Just PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH WAY YOU ENTER! 

One comment equals one entry. Got it? Awesome. 

1. Check out the Noonday site. Come back and tell me one of your favorite items...and good luck; there's no way I could pick just one. 

2. Contact me to schedule or attend a trunk show! I'll be headed back to Africa soon, and every item ordered puts me one step closer to Africa soil. It also makes a difference in the lives of the artists. Did I mention that I LOVE this about Noonday? Because I so do. You can e-mail me (mccallald@yahoo.com), message me on facebook, or simply leave a comment. If you're in Mississippi, you're good. If you're not in MS, you can let me know that you want to schedule a party in your state, and I can hook you up with an ambassador there. You can learn more about hosting a trunk show here. And don't forget-- hosting a trunk show can mean free goodies for you or some dinero for your adoption or the adoption of another!

3. Like my blog on facebook...I'll be posting Noonday updates there from here on out. 

4. Follow this ole' blog of mine or remind me that you already do. I truly appreciate my followers....you guys rock big time. Just click the FOLLOW button on the right hand sidebar, and you're all set. 

5. Share this giveaway in any way you so choose....facebook, twitter, instagram, whatever floats your boat. Leave one comment for each way you share. 

This giveaway will close on Saturday, September 8th when I will have Libby draw a winner. 

Thanks in advance for your support. 

I can't wait to start this part of the journey back to Africa......

A Southern Girl's Dream Come True

 Hello, lovelies. 

Just wanted to pop in and share a little something with you today. 

Earlier this week, I stumbled across this really neat website that often allows you to create your own designs based on templates they provide. 

And, that being said, lookie what I made: 

Southern girls love monograms like teachers love apples. 

It's a proven fact. 

It took me about two minutes and may possibly be my new favorite thing. 

However, here are few other things I'm loving this week: 

- This blog post and her take on followers. 

-This adorable birthday party. 

-This post about having better mornings at home.....ummmm, seriously need this one some days. 

-This book that I'm reading which applies to how I've been feeling lately. 

-This post on making a custom facebook timeline cover photo. I'm still grumpy about facebook forcing me to transition to timeline, but maybe this will help with that.....

What are you loving this week? 

Today I'm linking up here, here, here, here, and here. Join me? 

The Boy with the Finger

I've been planning this post for a long time. 

I've been writing and rewriting it in my head for the past month, trying to come up with a way that my truest of true feeling will come across over the computer screen. And after spending several days in the hospital with my precious grandmother during the past week, I think I might finally be ready to talk about the boy with the finger. 

You might recall the post where I talked about teaching take away at a school in Uganda. Well, what I didn't mention in that post is that one of my students that day seemed withdrawn. He was very quiet and would barely make eye contact as I proceeded to talk about subtraction (can't say I blame him on this one; I'd rather eat dirt than sit through a math class, so.....). As class went on and they started to work in their 'workbooks' (I use this term loosely, as their workbook are really nothing more than some paper stapled together in which their teacher writes some problems for each lesson-- nothing like the fancy, topnotch workbooks we are used to), I made my way over to him and tried to talk to him.

 I say tried because although he does speak some English, actually communicating was tough. 

He looked at me as I tried to help him with his work. He didn't smile, just stared at me with his big, beautiful brown eyes. And as he tried to do his work, I noticed that he wasn't doing much with his left hand. I leaned forward a little,and then I saw his finger. 

It was literally more than twice as big as his other fingers, and the skin and tissues were so stretched and damaged that it almost looked as if he had frostbite. It made my stomach turn and my heart hurt. That has to be painful. My kids freak out at the first site of blood and will put ice on any and everything that even remotely hurts, and here he was with his finger and all that entails. 

As soon as class was over and we went to break, I took him to see my friend, Marci, who happens to be a nurse. She proceeded to look at his finger more closely and go through almost a whole bottle of peroxide in an attempt to reach a point where it stopped bubbling....no such luck. 

She told me that the tissue was so damaged that it is literally dying. Not only is that NOT a thorn you see in his finger (only damaged tissue), but he will surely lose his finger soon. I can't even describe to you how this looks in person or the look on his precious little face when he realized that we'd noticed it. He was so ashamed, and I can only imagine how much pain he was in that day as Marci looked at and examined it and tried her best to clean it. He's six or seven years old and will soon have one less finger, not because he lost it in an accident or because it was removed safely by a doctor, but because it literally died from the inside out. 

I talked to his teacher about him, and she said that he used to be such a talkative, happy boy; 

now he is quiet, solemn, and somewhat withdrawn. 

I don't tell you this because I want you to feel sorry for him or to spur a conversation about health care in America or to say that America is somehow superior to anywhere else in the world. 

I do say this to make it real. 

I know for me that before I went to Africa the things I saw on television or read on blogs or talked about with friends who have been seemed only semi-real. I couldn't really understand the hurt that exists around the world; I couldn't see it; it didn't seem real to me....until the boy with the finger. 

Those kids you see on commercials or in pictures are real kids. 

They like to play ball and giggle and chase each other. 

They love bubbles and are afraid of the dark. 

Unfortunately, not every kid has a medicine cabinet, clean water,  and a pediatrician. 

While I am so proud to be an American, the boy with the finger gave me such a new perspective. 

Never could I imagine that something as simple as a cut on a finger would lead to a lost appendage. Here we would put some antibiotic ointment on it and a band-aid and maybe go to the doctor, but I can't even imagine letting it get this bad. Dare I say, we take so much for granted.

How many times have my kids bumped their elbows or scratched their knees? Libby fell on the playground yesterday, as a matter of fact. But since we have clean water to wash it with and basic medicines, she'll be fine; it'll be forgotten in a week. 

And maybe it's just me, but I think all kids should have  access to clean water and band-aids, and I refuse to be the girl who takes these things for granted for even one more day. 

What if that was my little boy, who simply scratched his finger and will now deal with the consequences for the rest of his life? I'm sorry, but that's just not okay. 

So, when you stop me at Wal-Mart and find that I'd rather talk about Africa and orphans and clean water than just about anything, please know that the boy with the finger is the vision that is stuck in my head. With that in mind, can you blame me for wanting to do more to help? I certainly hope not. For while I sit here snuggling Hollyn and watching Beauty and the Beast for the third time this week (don't judge; it's raining, and the girl loves some 'Be Our Guest'), this boy is suffering. His finger is dying while I throw out three cups of water that my kids didn't finish. And while I am so very thankful for the fact that I can take a shower any time I want to, it's not fair that my kids have clean water, while this little boy and countless others don't. 

God made those children and loves those children just like he made my and loves my children, 

and He directly calls us to help those in need. 

He's serious about that, folks. 

Where you're born shouldn't determine the quality of your life. 

This is not okay today, and it won't be okay tomorrow. 

So what I'm left to think about it, what am I going to do to help children like the boy with the finger? 

And how can I teach my children to appreciate blessing like clean water and readily available medical care?

Because taking these things for granted is simply not acceptable any longer in our house.  

Cake Batter Dip: New and Improved

So, almost a year ago I wrote this post  where I gave my cake batter dip recipe. Since then, that post has had...are you ready for this? 352, 918 views. Yes, I'm serious. Apparently people go coo-coo for cake batter dip. 

I literally make this all the time, partly because it's always a big hit and partly because it's the stinkin' easiest dessert ever in the history of ever. I actually made it for a church get-together last night, and people very scraping the bowl...literally. 

And in the past year I've learned a thing a two. So, in my infinite cake batter dip making wisdom (*cough cough*), I wanted to give you an updated version. 

You will still only need three ingredients: 

-Funfetti cake mix

-cool whip

-vanilla yogurt *much better than the original recipe, which called for plain yogurt, and I'm sorry but no matter how you spin it, plain yogurt is three shades of disgusting. This is much, much better. *

From there, the directions haven't changed much, but here they are again in case you're one of the people who hasn't seen this yet: 

Dump the whole box of mix into a bowl. Mix with one small carton of cool whip. Add vanilla yogurt to taste. I don't measure, but I'm guessing I use about 1.5-2 cups of vanilla yogurt. But to be honest, I've made this about five times, and every time I've added a little more or used a little less. And you know what? Every time people have asked me for the recipe and wiped the drool from their mouths over this one. Basically, I'm saying you can't mess it up. You got this. Be bold. I believe in you. 

We usually eat it with animal crackers, but I honestly believe you could eat it on cardboard, and it would still be delicious. Seriously though, fruit, teddy grams, you name it, it's great. I may have even eaten it like ice cream a few times. And this may have led to a conversation that sounded something like this: 

Lee: Ummmm....McCall? You do know that's supposed to be dip, right? 

Me (in a very non-sarcastic tone): Duhhhhh. That's why I'm DIPPING my spoon in it before I eat it. 

So, run and go make some. 

Enjoy it. 

Lick the bowl. 

Thank me later.

Today I'm linking up here, here, here, here,  and here. Join me? 

The Truth Is

This week has been hard. 

I've spent most of it in the hospital with my grandmother, whose body has a love/hate relationship with her pacemaker. 

This means hospital food, long days, and lots of time to think. 

I'm not complaining; in fact, I'm very thankful that she is getting good care and that I am in a situation where I can drop everything and go and be with her. 

And while I was there, I was very well taken care of by my friends who live in the area. They brought me breakfast, met me for dinner, and gave me a place to stay when she was moved to a part of the hospital that doesn't allow overnight guests. 

And while staying with some friends, I had a much needed conversation with a friend of mine who recently spent three months in Uganda. And by 'much needed', I mean that I'm pretty sure there's no one else who could have understood me like she could. 

To just put it out there, since I came back from Africa, I've become somewhat of a hermit. I have been the most anti-social I have ever been in the past month and a half. If you know me in real life, you'll know that anti-social is one of the last phrases I think anyone would ever use to describe me...unless of course, we only just met, in which case I think it would be very appropriate. 

Why? 

Why do I not feel comfortable talking to my friends? 

Why am I avoiding conversations and social outings? 

Why do I think I'd feel more comfortable in Africa with a big fat language barrier than I do here at home? 

I wish the answer was simple, but it's just not. 

Basically, I think I can break it down into two key areas of concern. 

1. I'm just disgusted. 

I'm so bothered by the amount of waste in our country. 

It hurts me to see us (my family included) taking so many things for granted or spending our money on things we just don't need or doing so little to help those around us. 

It upsets me to hear people complaining when we essentially have nothing to complain about. 

I am so disgusted with the racism that still exists in this world in which we live; we can give someone a new heart from a pig and grow a baby in a tube, but yet we still get hung up on skin color. 

It breaks my heart to see people not appreciate all we've been given. 

Please know that I realize God has called all of us to feel passionate about different things. I also realize that how people choose to spend their money and their time is their business. But it still hurts. And yes, I realize that a little over two years ago, I didn't see Africa as a priority either. In fact, I don't know that I would have gone had you given me a free ticket.

 I was completely indifferent and unaware not only of the hurt of these people but of their beauty. 

But God has opened my eyes; 

I see differently now. 

2. I'm afraid people just won't understand

Our trip was not fun. It wasn't supposed to be. We worked in a children's prison, for peet's sake.  We didn't go because we were looking to have 'fun'. We went because God tells us over and over again in scripture that we are to do for those who can't do for themselves.

 So when someone comes up to me and asks me about my trip, one of two things will happen. 

Either I'll say 'fine', simply because I know that no matter what I say, I am incapable of fully explaining what I saw and experienced; there simply aren't enough hours in the day. 

Or, I'll try to explain, to which the poor person I'm speaking to will leave feeling completely overwhelmed as I've just thrown two tons of hurtful, unimaginable images at them in big, rambling sentences. I've probably cried and talked to them for thirty minutes about something that is simply impossible to fully imagine and understand. It really is a YOU HAVE TO SEE FOR YOURSELF experience. This happened last week at Old Navy. I ran into a former social club sister and talked her poor ear off. The poor girl was just enjoying her morning, and I left her mind reeling and her heart hurting. 

It's hard when you feel so passionate and so strong about something that others just aren't that aware of or don't know what to do with. 

I have changed.

 My heart is not the same as it was two months ago.

 But the world around me is the same. 

I have some of the best friends in the world. 

Literally. 

I am sure of it. 

They are wonderful and Godly and supportive and understanding. 

They aren't doing anything wrong; they aren't being insensitive. 

It's me. 

Do I regret going to Africa? 

No, no, and certainly not. 

In fact, I've currently praying hard on an opportunity that has arisen that would allow me to go back soon. 

I'm literally itching to step foot on Africa soil again. The other night  I started thinking about it and got so excited that I couldn't sleep, in spite of the fact that I was well past exhausted. Will I go? Not sure, but I'm praying about it and am willing to do whatever God has planned.

And I am very thankful that God has given me a few close friends who also have a heart for Africa.

 They've been.

 They've experienced it. 

They understand.  

And I have no problem taking their pretty little ears off. 

Do I think I'll maintain hermit-like status for forever? 

Heavens no. 

But for now I'm focusing on the fact that I like this person, this girl I've become who loves a country that she's only been to once, this girl who would rather talk about Africa than just about anything. I dream about it, I think about it, and I am truly passionate about doing what little I can to make a difference,

 even if it's only for one.

 I like having my eyes opened; 

I like seeing,

even though it hurts. 

Mighty Fine

This weekend was mighty fine. 

Despite the rain, Libby and I headed out of town, where we visited our honorary fifth family member...the one Lee says we should claim on our taxes. Apparently, the rain does good things for my hair. Wish I could say the same for my shoes, which may never recover. 

Libby and I saw The Odd Life of Timothy Green,

 which tugged at our heartstrings in the best possible way. 

And we potty-trained like we were getting paid for it. 

What was the highlight of YOUR weekend? 

Here's hoping your weekend was only the start of a awe-to-the-some week.

Here's to praying for panties and the best kind of friends.