My Little Libby

Libby turned eight last Friday. 

My BABY is almost ten. 

Oh my heavens. 

So, in honor of Libby's big day and in correlation with the recent Parenthood season premier, I've had the Parenthood theme song stuck in my head for weeks. 

I love it. 

And I love the message it has for my daughter. 

So, let's take a little stroll down Libby memory lane, shall we: 

May God bless and keep you always. 

May your wishes all come true. 

May you always do for others and let others do for you. 

May you build a ladder to the stars and climb on every rung. 

And may you stay forever young. 

May you grow up to be righteous.

May you grow up to be true. 

May you always know the truth and see the lights surrounding you. 

May you always be courageous...

....stand upright and be strong. 

May you stay forever young. 

May your hands always be busy. 

May your feet always be swift. 

May you have a strong foundation... 

...when the winds of changes shift.

May your heart always be joyful. 

.

May your song always be sung. 

May you stay forever young

Happy birthday to the girl who made me a mom. 

God has big, big things in store for you, little one. 

I just know it. 

Today Libby and I are embracing the camera over at my fav-o-rite blog. 

If you're stopping by, welcome. Sit and stay a while and let's be friends, mkay? 

Cancer Doesn't Win

Believe it or not, Africa isn't the only thing I'm passionate about. 

Meet my friend Candice. 

You may remember her from her I Am That Mom guest post she did for me about this time two years ago. 

She's a dear friend from college who is doing amazing things to make the world a better from place for some very special kiddos....the kids of St. Jude's Children Hospital. 

Candice is a pediatric oncology nurse.

 I can't even begin to imagine how very hard her job must be

 or how brave she must have to be every time she goes into work. 

But working for St. Jude isn't enough for Candice.

 She wants to do more.... 

So this year she is participating in the St. Jude Memphis Marathon, 

thirteen miles of which Candice will run for the children and the place she loves so dearly. 

Here's a little bit of her story, in her own words: 

"Recently, a close friend of mine reminded me that in the end...cancer doesn't win. Every now and then, I need to hear that. I need to be reminded that this world is not the end. The things that plague us, the heartache we experience...it's not the end...and those things certainly do NOT win as much as Satan wants to bog me down with that lie.

John 16:33 "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

I can't tell you the number of times people have said, "I don't know how you work there (St. Jude Children's Research Hospital)." I guess my response to that is found in John 16:33. I work there because I know deep down no matter how many times I have to be reminded, that THIS is NOT the end. The one who made us has already won the battle and this is merely a breath in something more wonderful than our limited minds can even begin to comprehend.

As much as my heart breaks for every family that walks through the doors of the hospital completely unprepared to fight most likely the biggest battle of their lives, I love the opportunity I have to love on those children as if they are my own, to do whatever I can to make this journey a little bit easier. 

I've always been the type of person to wear my emotions on my sleeves. As you can imagine, this can be quite a weakness. However, for me I feel it is also my biggest strength. I will never forget the first time I went back to work after having my first child. Everything changed. I wasn't just a nurse any longer. I was a nurse who was also a mother. That one thing changed my entire perspective. And I believe at that moment I became a better nurse. I still struggle when I care for a child who is around the age of one of my children. It's not impossible to let your mind think of the "what if's." What if that was my child lying in the bed? What if my child were fighting this horrible disease? What if I was the one sitting there unable to take this for my child? And then comes the wash of emotion. The desire to scoop up that child and love them and tell them it's gonna be ok...to do the very thing you'd do if it were your own there. I can only imagine the parent's thoughts when they see this crazy nurse snuggling their child :) But you know...When you've had a conversation on talking to angels with a 3 year old, when you've had school aged children ask you if their parents will be ok when they go to heaven, when you've watched a child take his last breath, when you've held a parent and cried with them because you didn't know what else to do, when you've had to answer a parent's worst nightmare question as you listen to a chest with no heartbeat because of a stupid disease that couldn't be stopped....you tend to not care anymore. You just want to give lots and lots of love when it matters most. And then there are those times that one of your first patients messages you on facebook wanting to be your friend and letting you know that they are in college now. You get a random letter in the mail with a picture of a grown, healthy person...who happens to be that little 7 year old you were head over heels for a decade ago. That's how I do what I do...and I love every second of it. And I HATE cancer as much as any one person ever could...but cancer doesn't win...ever.

So as the holiday seasons approach, GIVE THANKS...for your own health, for that of your children. Pray for those who are in the fight of their life right now because trust me, they need it and they cherish it. And most importantly, remember this is NOT the end. Thank you God, this is not the end!"

Today I'm coming to you to ask you to help Candice reach her fundraising goal of $2500, raised to go directly to these families, finding cures and giving the most precious gift of all...LIFE! 

You can go here, to Candice's St. Jude page,

 to help her help the children and families of St. Jude. 

To help meet her goal, Candice is giving away these super cute hand towels for a minimum donation of $15. You can even choose which color combination you'd like! She's working so hard to reach her goal of  $2500. 

Every dollar counts. 

And Candice, heaven forbid if one of my girls was ever to be placed in St. Jude, you are exactly who I would want to stand by our side and take care of them. 

THANK YOU for being a hero.

Chasing My Dream

So in July I packed my bags.....

...and sat on a plane for entirely too long staring at this little screen.....

...and slept under a net. 

And next month, I'll do it all again. 

That's right......

I AM GOING BACK TO AFRICA. 

October 17-26, I will be headed to Malawi with Clean Water for Malawi as a part of my internship with them. 

To say I'm excited is an understatement. 

I never dreamed I'd be headed back to Africa just three months after first stepping foot on African soil. 

I wasn't looking or searching for a way back; God just dropped this opportunity in my lap. 

And I could not be more grateful. 

Three years ago, Africa wasn't even on my radar. 

It wasn't something I thought about regularly. 

I even remember one time when I was dreaming of places I'd like to go one day, 

and Africa didn't make the cut. 

And then, God got a hold of my heart and opened my eyes. 

And nothing has been the same since.

My dream now?

To help the people of Africa in whatever way God sees fit.

Not everyone understands my desire to serve people I've never met whose world is so very different from the one we know. And if I didn't KNOW it was God's will for me right now, that would probably hurt my feelings. There's nothing 'fun' about having people question what you're doing with your life. There's nothing 'fun' about watching people's eyes get big and their expression change when I say I've quit my job to chase my dream.

 I think they think I'm crazy. 

Maybe I am. 

But if this is what crazy feels like, and if this is the kind of peace and reassurance that comes with being crazy, sign me up and save me a room. 

I'm all in. 

The bottom line is: I've never been MORE SURE that I'm right where I'm supposed to be. 

Period. 

And for every person who thinks I've totally lost it, God has given me someone to cheer me on. 

For every negative comment, I've received an even stronger encouraging one.

 He continues to send people into my life who get it, who understand. 

And for that I could not possibly be more thankful. 

Africa is my dream. 

I can only hope you'd choose to follow yours. 

So, Malawi, in a month and six days, I'll be headed your way. 

And I could not be more excited. 

And in case you're wondering, there will be no t-shirts or canvases or hair-ties for this trip.....only Noonday. If you'd like to support my trip and help get me to Malawi, consider doing a little Christmas shopping or scheduling a trunk show. In just over a week since I started scheduling shows, I already have FOURTEEN booked between now and Christmas; God is oh so very, very good.

 I would LOVE to book another one with you....fifteen may be my new favorite number. 

I've been thinking a lot about the verse that inspires Noonday:

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

Isaiah 58:10

Those words ring true in my heart; nothing makes me happier than serving others. 

And I am so, so thankful that God has given me another opportunity to serve people in a place I so love.

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......