Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Oh Pinterest, You Do Inspire Me So

Pretty sure that by now everyone and her mom has heard about Pinterest.com.
And I do love it so.

Here are some of my favorites:








Do you Pinterest?
If so, you should follow me: mccallald12.
I'll follow in return. Pinky swear.

Also, if you're interested I'm now offering sponsorship in exchange for giveaways.
While I'm hoping not to get as bombarded as I was last fall *although it was very fun, and I did really enjoy all the giving away of goodies*, but I would like to possibly host a few if the right giveaway options come my way. Contact me for details mccallald@yahoo.com or you can just leave a comments. We like comments round these here parts.

Happy Tuesday to you and you and you.


Monday, August 29, 2011

Happy Monday-ing to You and You and You

Happy Monday, peeps.
I hope your weekend was wonderful in every possible way.

Just wanted to stop in and say that lately, this has been the topic at my daydreams:



It's a dslr...it's a Canon...and I love it. Need I say more?
I'm looking for the perfect bargain and then it will be mine.
I know you're excited because this will mean no more horrific phone pics on the blog and lots more pretty pretty super nice camera pis on the blog.
All in favor, say whatsup.

Also, I realized that I forgot to share these with you earlier.
Someone in my house has been doing some painting....
and that someone might be me.

These were my graduation presents for some kiddos I love, love, love:


And this is an old bulletin board that I recrafted into something cute for Lib's room:



You like? Sometimes I wish painting was my job,
 except I'm pretty sure that if it were it wouldn't be nearly as fun.

Libby's birthday is coming up next week.
Party planning is in full swing at our house.
What's going on at yours?

Happy Monday-ing to you and you and you.



Saturday, August 27, 2011

This Week's Highlights

From last Saturday to this Saturday.... a glimpse at my week in photos.

Last Saturday night: Date night with my mom and gmomma

We went to the see The Help.


Do I even need to say that I absolutely loved it?
The fact that it was shot in my hubby's hometown
 and that Skeeter's mom has my bed made it all that much more enjoyable.

Thoughts on this?

Oh, and please take a looksie at the shoes my mom wore:


Apparently the stylish gene is not genetic. At best, I'm hoping it skips a generation-- perhaps the Libster will grow into it. I was certainly not that fortunate.

While on our date, I drooled over these:


And it's possible I wished they were mine.
However, I foresee some serious canoe time in my not-so-distant future.
 More to come on this soon.

Tuesday: There was the liver scope. Sounds way more fun than it is, trust me.
However, the scope was followed by some seriously fabulous froyo.


Thursday: There was the hubby's birthday.
We will celebrate tomorrow.
There will be pics.

Friday: We attended our first home high school football game.

Can I just say that my girls were born LOVING high school football?


I honestly believe this was the most fun Hollyn has EVER had in her little life.
She adored every single second.

And this one...well, the cheerleaders were there. Nuf' said.


So I must ask, what were the highlights of your week?
Are you finding a new school routine perhaps?
If you are and happen to have any tips you'd like to share, puh-lease leave a comment.
We are suffering from DSSR at our house:
Desperately Seeking School Routine.

Here's hoping your weekend is and will continue to be fan-freakin'-tastic.


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Being a Better Mom: Attempt #16


In case you missed it, in my last post I talked about how I am desperately seeking to enjoy motherhood and my children more in the midst of the craziness we commonly call life. A few days ago was one of those 'hit in the face' kind of days for me. As we were getting ready to go to church on Sunday, Hollyn choked. She was okay after she threw up (four times, I might add), but the event was very scary for all of us, especially Libby who was playing with her on the back porch when the choking began.
Even though the whole thing only lasted for about five minutes, it scared me to my core. And last night I found myself thinking about life before Hollyn, back when I thought one kid was all I needed. It also led me to think about the future and what I hope for my precious girls.
Number sixteen on the Mom Challenge asks that we think about what we think our children will be like at age twenty-five.
Here are some of my thoughts on this put into letter form.
 Today we'll start with Libby, and I'll be back later this week with Hollyn's letter.
Why letters, you ask? Because I like them. And this is my blog...the place where what I like goes.
Work for you? Good deal. Me too.

Dear Libby Bibby,

Twenty-five is a big deal.
At this point in your life you should have finished college, assuming you didn't up and change your major a dozen or so times. Right now you want to be a weather girl, a ballet teacher, and a cheerleader. But I see you doing something that allows you to be the boss- you are very, very good at being the one in charge. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's at the top of the list of things you love. I'm putting five dollars on the idea that you will grow to become a teacher. God has big plans for you in the leadership department,
 little one, I am just sure of it.

 So after graduation from the college of your choice (I'm thinking somewhere big, preferably in the SEC), you will get your masters. Guessing by now you are just about done with that. Also guessing that you are in the top of you class. For not only did God make you one heck of a leader, but He also made you as competitive as you are smart. In fact, your competitive nature happens to be one of my favorite things about you. Get out there are show 'em how it's done, kiddo.

As far as friends go, I'm hoping by now you have found your best of best friends. This girl will know your ins and outs and love and understand your feisty temper, million and one ideas, and your desire to be and do better. Treasure her, for good friends are not easily found. Speaking of friends, your little sister is in her senior year of high school right now. I hope you are still her biggest fan, best protector, and favorite person. Your love for her makes me long for the sister I never had, and I continue to thank God every day for your special relationship with her. You, little one, are the world's best big sister.

Let's talk for a second about boys. 
You have been dying to get married since the ripe ole' age of three and naming your babies since you turned five. I am convinced that God has big plans for you in this department. And seeing how we told you that you are not allowed to get married until you are at least twenty-five, I'm thinking that is probably on your mind at this point in your life. Don't you dare rush it. If it's meant to happen, it will happen. But make the most of your time as a single girl-- it is not wasted time and your life does not begin when you get married. Don't wish your single days away; make the most of them and enjoy the time in your life when you will only cook dinner for one. Please remember what we have told you about the one God has made for you if married life is part of His plan: 

-choose someone who understands you completely
-choose someone who challenges you to be and do better
-choose someone who doesn't always let you get your way. Even though this will frustrate you sometimes, it will be for the best. 
-choose someone who makes your heart go pitter patter
-choose someone who is smart, loves to serve others, and will be a great dad
-choose someone who loves Jesus as much or more as you do

As for who will become, I hope by now you've realized that being pretty isn't everything. You are, I'm sure, very, very pretty. But there is so much more to you than how you look. You are one of the smartest, most inquisitive, loyal, bright girls I have ever known. And I hope that at age twenty-five you are still learning, still growing, and still seeking to know and learn more.

I hope you have learned all that we have been trying to teach you in terms of serving others. I hope your heart is still growing in this department and that you are going out of your way to better the life of another. The servant seed has been growing in you for a long time, precious girl. What are you going to do with it now that you are all grown up?

I hope that at twenty-five you are self-confident enough to know that you matter and that you are great just the way you are. I hope you are still brave enough to never let the fear of new or unknown get in your way or keep you from stepping out of your comfort zone. I hope by now you've realized the importance of listening to others and have recognized that you can learn something from everyone, even if it's simply what or who you don't want to be; I hope you've recognized that listening is more important than talking.

I hope you haven't lost sight of the fact that hugs are important and that you still love to eat your veggies.
I hope you still talk to your Mimi every day and that you still think your Daddy is the greatest man ever.
I hope you still want to watch movies with me and will still be my date.

I also hope you've changed your mind about living at home for forever. While it's not that I don't want to see you every day, I also want you to experience the sense of pride that comes from having your own first place, paying your own bills, and the way it feels to come home again after being gone for far too long.

You have challenged me in more ways than you will ever know, Lib. Being your mother has made me better, stronger, and prouder than anything else I've ever done,
and I simply cannot wait to see that girl you grow to be.

Love you now and love you then,
Mom

P.S. Thanks to all who have asked about and prayed over my no-good-dirty- rotten liver. However, after having a procedure done where the doctor removed the remaining stone particles from my Bile Duct, hopefully my liver will neither dirty nor rotten any more.


Oh, and I do believe I owe you a story. So last Friday, after Lib lost her front tooth, we were walking to my car when I noticed a light bruise on her forehead. I asked her what she did to herself.
Her response:

"Oh, it's fine. I just hit it playing 'whip my hair back and forth'.

Nice job, Lib. Gone are the days when kids get hurt playing red rover, and hello to the days when kids get hurt while attempting to be Willow Smith.


Happy Wednesday to you and you and you.
Oh, and if you decide to write letters to your kiddos this week, share with me via comment?
I'd love to hear what you have to say.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The Motherhood Mission

Let's be honest for a minute, shall we?
This whole mothering thing is tough stuff.
I've often said that I truly wish someone had been honest with me about what motherhood was really all about before I had children.
I truly believe that society sets women up for disappointment in leading them to believe that every day as a mom will be filled with hugs, kisses, and compliments...

That we will spend our days snuggling and staring into the eyes of a child who only wants to please us....

That we will always say nice things, always get along, and that this child will bring nothing but joy to our lives.

Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying here;
I ADORE my children. I would do anything in this world for them and could not possibly be more thankful for the chance to be their mom.

However, perfect everyday it is most certainly not.

In case you're new around these here parts,
life in my house has been anything but peaceful during these past few months.

Take a little trip down memory lane with me, mkay?

and


Point being: life is tough....

and I've been so caught up in keeping my head above water lately that I feel like I'm missing out on so many of the joys that motherhood has to offer because I'm too busy with all the ends and out of life.

And my kids need and deserve better from me.

So, in an attempt to do my girls justice, I will be attempting this:


Love, love, love.

I found it on Pinterest and instantly knew that it was something I wanted to use as a stepping stone to reconnect with the reasons I love motherhood.
I feel that having a list and sharing my journey with you will keep me more accountable and possibly encourage some of you to join in and participate as well.
If you do decide to work through this list with me, will you please leave a comment and let me know? I'd love to hear what you have to say and see what you come up with to help you focus on the positive aspects of mothering rather than the no and stop that that often comes with this oh so bumpy ride.

I'll do my best to stay in order, but I'm pretty sure I'll jump around within the thirty days, meaning I'll make them work to fit my schedule, because while I wish I could just pause the rest of my life to focus on mothering with a smile, that's simply not the case. As I complete each one I'll share it with you....maybe several clumped together in one post. No promises that each one will get its own, partially because I'm sure I'll miss a day of posting here or there.


And while I have your attention, today I will be completing # 8.
After a little math, I have come to realize that Libby has about 627 more weekends before graduating from high school, and Hollyn has about 852.

While this may seem like a lot, considering that there are 365 days in a year, combined with the fact that I feel like I've hardly seen my kiddos since school started, this has really given a big kick of perspective.

Here's wishing you a wonderful mid-week and promising to be back very, very soon.

And, while you're already here, how about you share your favorite thing about motherhood with me in a comment? I'd love to hear what helps you balance all the wonderful moments that come with the job with the ones you'd rather not redo.

And when I return, we shall discuss Lib's "whip my hair experience".
It's worth waiting for....take my word for it.



Thursday, August 11, 2011

As of Late: Failures, Favorites, and Whatnot

SOOOOOOO....in case I wasn't already WAY slacking in the blogging department, last week (the night before school started, I might add), our computer totally died....the kind of dead where it wouldn't even turn on....
All I have to say that is RIP old computer,  and welcome to our home, new computer.
 We have been waiting for you.

Anyway, in the past week, lots and lots has happened, primarily:
 I returned to work after a year as a stay-at-home mom,
 the hubs started a new job, and the Libster started first grade.

And while Lib had a great first day, I was unable to really document it seeing as how Doc ate the memory card for my camera, and my cell phone pics just weren't up to par.
However, I was able to capture a shot of her that day sporting her back to school/welcome to your new school present:


That's one cute first grader, if I do say so myself.


I've had several people in the past week ask me what it's like to
 return to the classroom after being out for a year.

Here are some things I've realized that I really missed last year:

-the routine that comes with working; routines and I are kindred spirits
-football season: love it. the end.
-school supplies....you could say I'm obsessed
-talking about books for five or so hours a day
-my precious kiddos...love, love, love them

In the same breath, here are some things I haven't missed even for a minute:

-having to dress up everyday
-not being able to wear flip flops as I so choose
-packing my lunch...and Lib's lunch...and Hollyn's breakfast....and the hubby's lunch
-waking up with the roosters
-not seeing my kiddos for long stretches of time


Regardless, I am happy to be back, am off to a great start, and am LOVING teaching seniors.
 I'm pretty sure it might be my favorite grade to teach, but I'm guessing only time will tell.

Moving on.....


we have been trying to squeeze in as much time with Jennifer as we can before she leaves for college later this month.....


And I literally cannot get over the ways this precious baby has grown in the past few months.



Here are a few quick updates from the Land O' Hollyn:

-she eats a banana a day
-she will fight you for a pretzel
-taking a bath still trumps any other activity
-she loves to organize and clean
-she wants to read all. the. time.
-she is still not a fan of sleep


Moving on.... again.....

Can I just say that I'm thankful that it's Thursday?
We are still playing catch-up at our house after the moving and hospital set-backs.
Here are a few things that will hopefully be on the agenda for this weekend:

* eating lots and lots of the wonder that is white chocolate peanut butter


* FINALLY seeing the latest Harry Potter movie. The fact that I haven't seen it yet is nothing short of a travesty, really.


*convincing the hubby that I NEED one of these Africa shirts.
You likey too?
Well, you can orders yours here.


*curling up on the couch with my copy of this:


I've heard it's as good as The Help, which I am also hoping to see very, very soon.

What's on your weekend agenda?

Here's hoping that whatever it is, it is wonderful.
Happy weekend-ing to you and you and you.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Sneaky Peeky

While I'm busy today taking care of the little last minute whatnots before the kiddos start school tomorrow, here are some sneak peek pics. of my new house, all taken pre-sale. In other words, here are some shots of my house before it was my house. And in a year or so when it's all finished and we're all settled, I'll share some shots of my house now that it is my house. Ok, I kid, I kid; hopefully it will only be a few more weeks 'til we reach that point....my sanity probably can't handle much more than that.







Happy Thursday to you and you and you, and a VERY happy last day of summer/meet the teacher day to the Libster; let's hope first grade at your new school is ready for you, little girl.

 

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Well, That Was Unexpected


This should be my life's motto, at least at this stage of my life.

Sorry {AGAIN} that I've been absent from the blogging world.
But you see, my body apparently didn't think that moving to a new house, getting ready to start a new job, and trying to tackle the back-to-school shopping mob was enough.
And last Monday night, I ended up in the ER with some serious liver problems.

(Here's where you can stop anticipating a nice shot of me in my hospital gown all cozied up in my nice, comfy hospital bad. Three words to that: NEVER. GONNA. HAPPEN.)

And one little night wasn't a long enough hospital stay. In fact, my body wasn't content 'til we'd made almost a week of it. And on Friday, after four very long, miserable nights, I was finally able to come home....and eat.
That's right, folks. No eating from Monday night to Friday afternoon, Doctor's orders.
 Good thing I felt three shades of terrible, otherwise somebody would have come up missin' a cheeseburger and some chocolate chip cookies.

And to answer your question, no, I'm still not exactly sure what caused my liver enzymes to be ten times the normal amount. Two theories:
a.) a very nasty virus that I pray I will never catch again
b.) somehow when my gallbladder was removed in 2007, a gallstone decided to stick around in a duct and show itself four years later by making a debut in my liver.

Either way, it was painful, and nasty, and scary, and no fun at all, and my liver numbers are closer to normal with each passing day.

Too bad I didn't have one of these to make it all better:


Pretty sure they would have fixed me right up.

Thanks again to all of you who prayed for me and worried about me during my hospital stay.
And while I'm still not 100%, I am certainly feeling better.

I mean, it's hard to stay down long when this face is asking you for a 'paddy' a hundred times a day.  The girl is madly in love with her pacifier, I tell ya.




And my cousin, Claire, deserves a medal; she's been keeping the Libster since last Thursday.
Lee is actually picking her up now, and I'm sure I will have much to report once she's home.

As for the rest of the week, it's a busy one.
Tomorrow is my first day back as a working mom.
I'll be teaching seniors this year and could not be more excited about it.
And on Friday, the Libster will start first grade at her new school.
I can guarantee there will be pictures.

Oh, and one more thing, a HUGE praise for my friend Emily:




Adorable, yes?
Well, she's been doing missionary work overseas this summer, and the word on the street is she officially back on U.S. soil. I stinkin' cannot wait to see her sweet face and hear her precious voice. To say I love and am proud of her is quite the understatement.
WELCOME HOME, EMILY!

Happy Tuesday to you and you and you.
Let's try to keep this week hospital free, mkay?