The Real Me

Hey, I'm McCall. 

Have we met? 

I mean, obviously you're here....visiting my blog. 

But between the adoption posts and the fundraising posts and the Noonday posts and the giveaway posts, I sometimes wonder how much of who I really am actually seeps through in my posts. If we met in real life, would I be who you expect me to be based on what you've read here? 

How does 'blog me' compare to 'real me'?

So today, I want to talk about 'real me'. 

Not 'here's what I'm working on me' 

or 'here's something that's important that I want to share with you me' 

or 'let's talk about adoption me'. 

Just real me. 

Hope you're not too disappointed.....

*First and foremost, I love Jesus. And my family and I try to live our lives in a way that is different from the world. This means we sometimes have a different view than most of those around us. We are okay with being different if it means being obedient and drawing nearer to Him.

*I am short. Think five foot even. Think three inches shy of needing a booster seat. 

*I am totally convinced that a fountain coke can cure just about anything. Little kids believe in band-aids; I believe in fountain coke. 

*I hate my hair. And by hate I mean HATE. There are many days when I seriously consider just shaving it and starting over, and I've prepared Lee that if shaved heads are ever in style, he can go ahead and sign me up. I just hate having to waste so much time on something that I'm just gonna have to wash and start all over with in a day or so. Boo on that. 

*If I wasn't responsible for my kiddos and their health and nutrition, I would totally eat Spaghetti-o's five nights a week. 

*I am a sucker for an acoustic guitar. Always have been. Always will be. 

*I laugh at myself. Often. Sometimes loudly. And I'm totally okay with that. 

*I don't eat salad. However, after years of dating and getting a salad with my meal, I can fake eat a salad better than anyone I know. In fact, if Fake Salad Eating was an Olympic event, I'd be bringing home the gold. It's a given. 

*I'm clumsy. I drop things. I fall up stairs. And if I'm wearing white, I might as well just go ahead and put food on it before I leave the house because it's only a matter of time before I spill something on my shirt. 

*I love my planner. I write things down sometimes just so I can check them off. However, my desk is a disaster, as is my car. Basically, if my planner is organized, my surroundings don't have to be. 

*I love Mexican food. No one else in my family loves Mexican food. If you're my friend in real life, and I'm constantly twisting your arm to go eat Mexican food with me, this is why. 

*As much as I love Jesus, Halloween is my favorite holiday. All the costumes and scariness and candy corn. Yes, please. Gimme. 

*I'm loud and random and often bust out in movie quotes...preferably 80's movies. 

I plead JustCantHelpMyself.

*My husband tells me that I have the sense of humor of a teenage boy. I'm not sure exactly what he means by this, but I choose to believe that it's a compliment. 

*I try very hard to watch my words. I know that words can hurt, and I used to really struggle with inserting my foot into my mouth. With age, I've learned to be very careful to word things so that they come out in the way I mean for them to. 

*I ask a lot of questions. It's how I learn. I'm sure my teachers LOVED this about me when I was growing up. Or not. In fact, probably not. But it works for me, so I'm sticking to it. 

*I most certainly do NOT have it all together, although apparently I must fake this well because people regularly comment that I do. My response to that? Jesus. Just Jesus. 

And that's enough about me. 

Tell me about YOU. 

What's something that people wouldn't know about you just based off of an online relationship? 

Seriously. Spill it. 

Please. 

And thank you. 

Grow Your Blog Giveaway: The Inside Scoop

First of all, I simply cannot say THANK YOU 

enough to every single person who donated and shared about the Grow Your Blog Giveaway. 

It exceeded my every expectation and my every hope. 

The number one thing I will take away from last week? 

There are some amazing people out there. 

It makes me wish our world was smaller. 

There are so many amazing women out there that I wish were my friends and neighbors. 

So many awesome, inspiring stories I'd love to hear over cups of coffee on my back patio. 

So many people who already love my girl. 

And for the sake of being transparent (and for the several of you who asked),

 let's talk for a minute about the details of this giveaway. 

I have been thinking about our adoption and planning out ways to raise funds for about two years now. 

Doing research, reading blogs, asking others. 

To clarify, I am a planner. I love making lists. I love schedules. 

And of all the things I'd planned out for our adoption, this was not one of them. 

This idea came to me on the couch last month...watching 'New Girl' reruns on Netflix...looking at Instagram on my phone....thinking about how if only MY blog were bigger I could maybe sell some more t-shirts (which you can order here, btw. This mama ain't too proud to beg.). 

And then it just came to me, the idea that others out there want to grow their blogs as well.

 So, I made a little list (it's what I do best...seriously. I make a mean list.) of a few of my favorite bloggers. This part was easy, as these are bloggers I've loved for a long time...I may even sometimes forget that I don't know them in real life. After I had my list, I hopped on the computer, quickly found their e-mail addresses, and sent them a message telling them what I was hoping to do 

and asking if they'd be willing to donate ad. space. 

The funny part? 

They all said yes...some within the first thirty minutes.

And I cried. 

Then I headed over to Etsy to see if I could round up a few additional prizes. 

They all said yes too. 

Moral of the story: DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK!

 You just never know!

 And what's the worst that could happen? 

They'll say no or won't respond. 

If I had a penny for every time I've been told NO in my life, 

well, let's just say I wouldn't be so worried about selling t-shirts to bring Emily home. 

And my girl is worth putting myself out there and stretching my comfort zone.

After that, the rest was easy, I simply headed over to picmonkey and made some images for Instagram (this is because my phone is one step away from being considered museum worthy and officially labeled an antique. Those of you with newer phones could skip this step.).

I created this one for Pinterest: 

And these (plus two more, but you get the idea) for Instagram, facebook, and Twitter: 

After that, all I really did was share on social media. 

I will say that I am so very thankful for Twitter, and facebook, and Instagram, and Pinterest, and the amazing Blog world, and so in awe of people who fundraised pre-social media. 

Not only did I help raise some much needed funds to bring my girl home, but I have 'met' some of the most WONDERFUL people this past week!

And I cried some more. 

I am so humbled by all of the people I don't know who donated for Emily. 

I am even more humbled by the people who are ALSO currently fundraising to bring their own kiddos home. 

You donated and shared and donated and shared, 

and we are now

$1200

closer to having our girl HOME with us!  

$1200 in one week from people I don't know, people I may never know. 

My heart is humbled; my God is good. 

And now I'm off to e-mail miss Stephanie Clark and tell her just how very happy I am for her! 

Sharing My Heart

So, this grow your blog giveaway is blowing my mind. 

Seriously, all these people from across our country giving whom I've never met donating their hard-earned dollars to help bring my little girl home. 

I've cried and smiled and been shown the hands and feet of Christ through each donation. 

If you've given and entered to win, thank you. 

I can't wait to see where the total will land come next Monday. 

And I really can't wait to see who the winner will be! 

And don't forget-- once you've donated ONCE you can earn entries every day by sharing about this giveaway!

GO HERE TO ENTER or learn more! 

One of my favorite things about this journey to our girl is that God is placing people in my path who share my heart and desire to do my part to help with the orphan crisis our world is facing. 

And today I'd like to introduce you to my new friend, Angie. She has a really cool thing going on to help bring HER baby home to her. 

In her words, here is a slice of her story: 

In 2012, on a warm Saturday morning in November, my husband and I waited anxiously in a bright orphanage.  At 9 am, that November in Taiwan, it was our turn, our time to become parents.  The director arrived, carrying a serious(ly adorable) 6 1/2 month baby boy into the room. I burst into happy tears. Quiet. Happy. Tears. After months of waiting, piles of paperwork, and an indescribable amount anticipation, we were finally in Taiwan, holding our son for the first time.  

As most adoptive parents will tell you, the months of waiting, pictures, and videos could not prepare us for the incredible love we felt that morning in November. As we looked into our son’s curious eyes, we knew he would not be the last child we adopted. We did something crazy, in fact. Something inspired by our awesome God, who calls us to do things that seem crazy to many in the American world. We reapplied to adopt again, with our agency, that very month. Our son is going to be a big brother!

Now, we spend our days chasing, laughing, gardening, giggling, and dreaming. Life is pretty beautiful. Last month, we also announced the grand opening of an etsy shop, The 1500 Tree Project. On the surface, the 1500 Tree Project is a way to fund our second adoption. 1500 trees made. 1500 trees sold. One fully funded adoption. But really, it’s so much more than that.

 It’s cutting leaves out of colorful paper while my son toddles around the living room, babbling away. It’s thinking about designs as my husband plucks away at his bass guitar, practicing a bluegrass tune. It’s piecing together a tree when we chat about our days and our prayers, with the low hum of the baby monitor buzzing in the background with our toddler’s sleeping breaths. The 1500 Tree Project is love and hope, poured into a little 6×6 canvas. Joy really is the heartbeat of our shop and the spirit I pour into every piece I produce.

And we would love for you to join this journey with us. 

How? 

Pray with us! Pray for the financial means to bring our child home, a favorable legal process, and the wisdom to parent our children well.

Buy a Tree! Join The 1500 Tree Project by purchasing a tree from our shop today.  They are $25.00. We are stepping out in faith and pray for financial provision. Airlines won’t fly us around the world for free, doctors need paychecks to buy their children dinner, social workers like money to purchase a cute top from time to time, and even orphanage nannies deserve a little monetary compensation for countless 3 am feedings. Purchasing a tree is the simplest way to support our adoption financially!

Share our Story! Like us on facebook! Pin us on pinterest! Follow us on Instagram!  Share this post with your friends! Put us in your e-mails, your church bulletins, your bible study handouts, your weekly newsletters. And, if you are a blogger…we would love to write a guest post for you, too!

To celebrate our adoption, and thank McCall for allowing us this guest post, we are offering a 10% coupon code to Lee, Me, and the Girls: Finding our Way readers! When you check out on etsy, use the code: OURWAY to receive your discount. Valid one week only!

Where will you fall in The 1500 Tree Project?

Much love,

Angie

The Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/The1500TreeProject

The Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The1500TreeProject

The Blog: 1500trees.blogspot.com

It takes a village, friends.

Happy Thursday to you and you and you.
We're headed to a home study visit. Please pray I don't throw up....or put my foot in my mouth...or both.
That would be bad. 

The Trouble with Blogging

There are so many things to love about blogging. 

There are also things that cause me to make faces like this and say things like SERIOUSLY!?! and YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!

Like I've said before, I blog for three reasons:

-to document life for my kiddos

-to advocate for things I'm passionate about

-to form relationships and connect with others

Here's where the trouble comes into play. 

Obviously when we write blog posts, we put our best foot forward. 

We only take pictures of the clean parts of our house.

We choose not to use the unflattering pictures (this post is obviously not an example of this).

We leave out the details about yelling at our kiddos, have laundry stacked up for days, and needing to vacuum...desperately. 

We make our homes, our kiddos, and our marriages seem as appealing as possible. 

Not only is this an unrealistic picture of our lives, but it's downright dangerous. 

I hate to think of some mom out there struggling to take a shower today and crying over her cold coffee, thinking to herself, "Why I can't be as organized as so and so?" 

Or, "If only my house/clothes/kids were as cute as hers".

Danger. Danger. Danger. 

There is also the risk of utter disappointment. 

Take, for example, this scenario: 

Girl reads blog. 

Girl comes to love blogger. 

Girl relates to her, understands her, and feels she is speaking her language. 

Girl comes to view said blogger as a friend of sorts. 

Girl doesn't know everything about blogger's life and beliefs, but fills in the unknowns as she chooses, assuming that because they have the same views on this and this and this, that they must have the same views on other important things as well. 

Then one day, said blogger Girl so admires lays it all out there: she believes in God but not really. She acknowledges He exists but doesn't chose to live her life according to His word or moral standards. 

Girls watches as the bubble she's been living in blows up in her face. 

This happened to me recently. 

I am that Girl...the one who filled in the blanks about one of her favorite blogger's life and was recently utterly disappointed. 

It's not that I don't believe in freedom of religion. 

It's not that I don't believe that people who aren't Christians can't be awesome friends, moms, wives, and people. 

What bothers me about this blogger and her recent admissions that her kids should define themselves based on what they do and how they act and how she sees them rather than based on how God made them and His guidelines for their life is that this sets the stage for all of these people who so admire her to simply believe her rather than deciding for themselves. 

When we put a blogger or a speaker or an actress or a political figure in a larger than life bubble is that we tend to take the HUMAN out of them, so to speak. 

We tend to think that their values and thoughts and opinions somehow mean more than others. 

We somehow often believe that because these people are successful in some area of life they must know something we don't. 

And then when our bubble we've put them in bursts, we are terribly disappointed. 

I looked up to this blogger. 

I admired her. 

She's a seemingly great mom. 

She's fun. 

And there's no denying her talent. 

But I totally disagree with her stance on this. 

While I want my girls to recognize their own strengths, gifts,and talents, I also want them to recognize who GAVE them those strengths, gifts, and talents. 

I want them to thank God and realize He is a part of every aspect of their lives. 

Without Him, they would not exist; without Him, we all are nothing. 

I'm not saying that simply because I disagree with her that she's no longer a great mom, or lots of fun, or very talented. 

I'm simply saying there's danger in bubbles. 

*For the record, I realize that I failed to mention the name of the blogger who recently burst my bubble. It wasn't on accident. I'm not trying to speak negatively of her blog. It is still just as beautiful and thought provoking and well written as it was before I came to this realization. She just serves as one example of how I believe that we are only to care about what God thinks and says; those who are successful DON'T have all the answers or know some grand life secret we aren't aware of....no matter how adorable their blogs are.*

Recital Recap, a WINNER, and some New Digs

First things first, you may notice things are looking different around here. My new blog design is up and running, and I LOVE IT! Lauren at www.laurencasper.com did the most amazing job and was so wonderful to work with! My favorite part? The proceeds from my design will be used to help fund her adoption from Africa. Love when getting what we need or what also serves to give to another!

You may also notice that among the social media icons to the left, there is now a facebook icon. I figured it I was going to go all out and change my name and what not, that a facebook page was the next logical step. You can now find Lee, Me, and the Girls: FINDING OUR WAY on facebook. 

In other news, we have a winner from last week's giveaway. 

Congrats to you, DANA! You won! I'll get your book to you shortly. :) 

And NOW, this weekend was the highly anticipated dance recital, 

and my girl was excited. 

If you're thinking that's a lot of make-up for one little girl, I agree. 

But, dance recital is her thing. She decides how I do her hair and how much make-up she wears. I like to think of it as my gift to her, seeing as how most days I do her hair and the girl certainly doesn't get to wear make-up. 

Two things I want to point out: 

1. I can do magic things with a curling iron. 

And .....

2. Hollyn was highly upset that she didn't get to dance on the stage. 

Libby did a great job and truly enjoyed shaking her stuff for all to see.  The girl has some serious moves. 

I, on the other hand, had a great time watching and being a proud mom but am thankful dance recital only comes once a year. 

Here's hoping your weekend was filled with lazy afternoons.

 Other than recital-ing, mine has been filled with craving things I can't eat.

 Thanks a lot, Whole 30. 

Oh, and a BIG thanks to all who have said they want to buy a t-shirt to help fund our trip to Uganda! I should have some in my hands in the next few days, and I promise to post about them and set up my Paypal link just as soon possible. 

Setting the Record Straight

So, you know how sometimes it helps to picture the writer while you read?

I'm thinking this may be one of those times.

So, here's me...looking hopeful and thankful, right?

Let's hope so.

Moving on......

Hey there.

Today I've got something on my mind......bare with for a minute while I talk statistics.

I do have a point, I promise.

Did you know that this little blog of mine is growing like a weed?

Because it is.

 If you do recall, I was so excited in November when I met my 100,000 view mark.

Well, guess what?

Last week I reached the 200,000 view mark. I may not be good at math, but this I can handle.

That's approximately 50,000 views each month.

Holy canoli. That's a whole lot of views.

People must really like cake batter dip, which had just under 60,000 views in the past two months.

That's right folks, 60,000.

Now here's the part where I can make my point:

PLEASE HEAR THIS PART:

I am very, very thankful that 60,000 people took an interest in what I had to say about dip that tastes like cake. Really, really I am.

HERE'S THE HOWEVER YOU WERE NO DOUBT EXPECTING:

Why does this kind of hurt my feelings?
I think this kind of makes me sad because I'm not trying to write a recipe blog. While I do sometimes POST recipes, that's not my goal here.

That leads me to ask myself, what exactly IS my goal here? Why do I blog? What is about blogging that keeps me coming back for more and makes me look forward to it every day?

There are several reasons.

 So, I made a list (in case you didn't know, lists are kinda my thing):

1. I love the idea that something I say will encourage or impact or motivate one of you. I especially love the idea of something that I saw as a negative part of my life or a bad day affecting one of you in a way that something good comes out of it. This idea makes me very, very happy.

2. I love sharing (what I hope are) good ideas. I think our best tool as mothers, as women, and as friends is each other. And every once in a blue moon, I have an idea that I think you may like too. So I share. And you usually like. And this too puts a smile on my face.

3. I love to write. I love to record. And I don't do scrapbooks. This IS my scrapbook. This is the place where I record the major and completely forgettable moments of my life and my family's life because I don't WANT to forget them. If for nothing else, blogging is a great way to keep up with what I was doing last week, last month, or last year. It's the place where I can see how much I've grown, how I handled things, and how I viewed whatever it may be. I am a firm believer in the notion that we tend to sugarcoat our pasts sometimes. And I'm not all that into sugarcoating. I want the truth, and so I blog. I blog mostly for me, but I love that you enjoy it as well.

4. And I think it's safe to say that this is the most important reason: I blog because I like you. I LOVE the ways my blog has connected me with old friends and helped me meet new ones. I love that through blogging I have learned so much about other people and the things we have in common. I love that blogging inspires me to be a better mom and to get up and DO something new. I love the fact that blogging forces me to put my opinions and thoughts out there for all to see. It's sometimes scary, and there are times I've dreaded the response I would receive. But you, my friends, are always there, waiting with your helpful, kind, thoughtful comments. To sum it up, who has the best readers ever? Ummmm, that would be me, thanks.

MY POINT:

I suppose that if I want people to head my way for something over than yummy treats, I need to post things are clever, creative, well-written, thought-provoking, relateable, real, and honest.

That's a big request, but I'll take that challenge.

And if you made the cake batter dip, two cool points are headed your way.

Here's hoping your Wednesday was t-totally awesome. Ours was filled with another attack from the stomach visit. This time Hollyn was the one that fell prey to its evil devices. Oh, stomach virus...we are so not friends.



Tomorrow I'll be linking this post here, so if you found my blog via Casey, welcome. Hope you liked what you saw and enjoyed what you read. :)

2011: My Favorite Blogs

2011 has been quite the year for blogging.

I've read some that made me laugh or giggle,

some that made me mad and want to unfollow,

some that I totally related to,

some that left me longing for more,

and some that challenged me to be and do better.

Here are some of the blogs I've enjoyed the most this year, in no particular order:

Blessed Little Nest

Pink Lou Lou

 Ben and Katie

Fly Through Our Window 

Don't Waste Your Cancer

Enjoying the Small Things

Lovin' Much 

The Anderson Family Crew

Hello from the Natos

Today's Letters

What is YOUR all-time favorite blog?
I'd love to find some new reads for 2012.

Love, Love, Lovin'

One of the many things I love about Christmas break?

'Free' time to catch up on some good reading.

Here are a few of my favorite posts as of late:

Love this idea that I found here.

 This idea is adorable AND looks yummy. Check it out here.

Wish I'd found this one sooner! I'll be adding it to my birthday gift ideas. You can get the details here.

I think this mantel that I found here is divine.

Tonight's the big night!

Here's hoping Santa makes a stop at your house.

Merry Christmas Eve to you, you, and you.

Winner Winner Chinese Dinner

First and foremost, congrats to Meaghan from The Gordons on winning my 100,00 views giveaway. Send me your address, and I'll get the book in the mail to you on Monday. mccallald@yahoo.com

A few other thoughts:

-Today there was Uno and a Harry Potter marathon.

-Tonight there was Chinese food, and it was fab-o.

-Libby gets her tonsils out in T-minus ten days and counting....it can't come soon enough.

Here's hoping your weekend beats the pants off of mine.

My Top Ten Favorite Posts

Can I just be honest and say that choosing ten posts I can call my 'favorites' was not an easy thing to do? These are my memories; this is my life. I'm sure if you asked me again in a week, the list would change. But for today, here are ten of the my former posts that I love and think you might love too:

That One Little Thing

Spending My Time

How Do I Want Them to Remember Me

30 in My 30's

Dear McCall, age 18

The Big Jump

This Time Last Year

Here Kitty Kitty

Those Dang Pinchers

Soundtrack of Me, Part 1, 2, and 3

Rockstar by Morning

And can I ask: what is YOUR favorite post on YOUR blog? If you've never thought about it, good luck. Picking probably won't be an easy task.

But you know what IS easy?
 Entering my latest giveaway...you have until tomorrow night at eleven to enter to win
a copy of one of my favorite books of all time.

Here's hoping your week has been way better than mine-- let's just say teaching seniors how to write research papers is not the most fun thing I've ever done.

P.S.) The photo in this post came from here. :)

The Top Five

In case you missed the news, I'm only a few thousand views away from reaching the big 100,000 views.

Whoa that's a lot of peeks at this little blog of mine.

As of today, here are the top five most viewed entries:

Embracin' the Camera and It Tastes Like Cake Batter: 23, 913 views (thanks, Pinterest for making my cake batter dip receive about 900 views each and every day)

Giving Thanks: 1, 145 views

Turning One Is Oh So Fun: Hollyn's Milk and Cookies Party: 1, 068 views

Libby's Cake Decorating Party: 884 views

Reading: Seeing Pink: 721 views

Which of these is your favorite?

Tomorrow I'll be talking about my own favorite posts...assuming I can choose some, that is. Funny because none of my favorites have anything to do with something I've made, while all of my most viewed posts have to do with something I've made...Hmmmm.....

Oh, and before you do, did you ENTER YESTERDAY'S THANK YOU GIVEAWAY?????

 NO?

Then what are you waiting for?

 You can enter it here.

Happy Wednesday to you and you and you.

Today I'm linking here.

The Low Down on Blogging and a Call for Questions

I don't know about you, but I don't know many bloggers in real life. Sad, I know.  In fact, most of my close friends can't imagine ever starting a blog and don't know what they could possibly have to say and how they'd possibly find time to post. (Which by the way is pish posh in my opinion.) And when I was first starting out in the blog world, I had no one to go to with questions or for advice concerning blogging.

While I am by no means a professional blogger, I have learned a thing or two about how this whole blog thing works, and today I wanted to take a minute to answer some of the questions that I continually get asked about blogging.

1. Is it time consuming?

It depends entirely on you. Writing and coming up with ideas is very easy for me, so to me no, it's not time consuming to write and upload my posts; 90% of the time I am just writing about and documenting the life I am already living.  However, it can be awfully tempting to browse other people's blogs and spend hours oooh-ing and ahhh-ing over their newest craft or latest recipe or oober cute children. Just like anything else, you make time for what it important to you, and if blogging is something you desire to try, I think it's safe to say that in the time you spend watching one TV show each night, you could have written a post. The choice is yours.

2. How do you find things to say?

Well, in case you've noticed, I talk about lots of different things here on my blog, from my family to food, activities, etc. In order to blog about your life, you have to be out living it. But I believe that everyone has a story to tell; it's just about being comfortable and confident enough to do so.

3. What does it mean to follow a blog?

Following is a very nice way to show the writer of the blog that you like what he or she has to say. If you read a blog daily or even a few times a week, you should follow it. The more followers a blog has, the more likely it is to get to offer giveaways, grow to gain sponsorship, etc, and the better the writer will feel because when someone follows your blog, it's safe to assume they like what they see.

4. Do I have to have a blog in order to follow?

Of course not! You can follow via e-mail or feed subscription to places like Google Reader. If you DO have a blog, then any blog you follow will automatically show up on your homepage when it's updating, putting all your favorite blogs in one place. You can choose to follow publicly (where people can see you're following) or privately (where people can't see you're following).

5. Should I leave comments on blogs?

That's up to you, but I will say that it's always nice to hear someone likes something you have done or relates to something you have said. Comments are like compliments, and who doesn't enjoy a nice pat on the back every now and then? And if you're trying to grow your blog, commenting is often a nice way to get followers, as many people will often follow you back if you take time to comment on their blog.

6. Have you ever received a nasty or rude comment?

Thankfully, no. All of my comments have been positive and nice thus far; however, I'm sure it's bound to happen eventually, and I know some bloggers have lots of trouble with this. However, as a blogger you have the option of accepting or not accepting comments from anonymous readers. While I do accept comments from anonymous readers (this allows people without a blog to comment more easily), I do have to approve all comments before they appear on my blog. This is not because I fear the all-dreaded negative comment, but rather because certain information such as my last name and the city in which I live is not something I put on my blog, and if a friend accidentally mentions one of those things in a comment, I can catch it before it's made public knowledge.

Plus, my take on negative comments is this:
We all each entitled to our own opinions. Do I always agree with everything other bloggers say? No. Therefore, it's foolish for me to assume that everyone will agree with everything I say.

7. Do all bloggers make money, and can you make money as a blogger?

Yes, it is entirely possible to make money as a blogger. However, it's rare that family blogs (which is what I consider my blog to be for the most part) gain sponsorship in that they usually only apply to a certain market of readers. While I would love for my blog to bring in some extra dinero each month, I realize that not everyone is interested in reading about my kiddos and what I crafted or listened to or watched or read last week. But some blogs do make it big in the blog world, specifically those blogs which target mass audiences, and I could not be happier for them.

8. What is some advice you'd give to new bloggers?

Well, if you do your research you'll hear the same few tips repeated in a variety of ways:

-try to post often, as readers will get bored if you keep them waiting too long between posts.

-try to include pictures whenever possible, as people like something pretty to look at while reading.

-the more professional your blog looks, the more seriously your readers will take you. If you're only blogging for your mom and family, then you will probably be perfectly content with a free template that you can download. However, if blogging is going to be a serious hobby for you, you may want to look into getting your background custom made so that it has a more personal feel.

- choose a catchy title or name for your blog, specifically one that represents what you plan to talk about on your blog. This is something I wish people had told me before I chose mine-- what happens if we ever have a son? Lee, Me, and the Girls won't really apply anymore, you know?
-don't be afraid to be real and honest. I find that the blogs I most enjoy are the ones where the author is real and writes in such a way that I feel I can personally connect with him or her.

9. What's the point/ why do you enjoy it so much?

I think there are many reasons why people blog. For me, it started as a way to document the adventures of my growing family and has since grown into the hobby I most enjoy. I love having an avenue where I can express myself, an excuse to write, and a place where I can share thoughts and ideas. I often find myself referring to my blog for recipes we love or what we were doing this time last year. I don't keep a journal; I do blog, and I love, love, love it.


10. How many hits do you usually get each day?

Well, usually I average about 750-1200, but lately it's been more like 2500-3200. Thanks for the boost, Pinterest. :)

I hope this has helped answer any questions you may have....if not, please ask. I'll answer any questions I get via comments in the comment section, so if you ask a question please check back soon for a response. Or, you can always e-mail questions to me at mccallald@yahoo.com. Speaking of questions, is there anything you want to know or see more of? Any questions about me or my family? Anything you want more details on? Send those my way too, and I'll see what I can.

Here's hoping your Wednesday doesn't feel like a Monday, like mine has all. day. long.

On that note, here's a picture of me and Rachel (aka El Ray Ray).
 It makes me happy, and today calls for something happy. 

Don't be jealous of our 'staches, mkay?