auction #4 {cora dress}

Auction #4

Cora Dress

Cora's

This t-shirt dress is made with a Carter's long sleeve onesie size 24 months.

This dress is from our new collection of Cora dresses that should be listed in our shop sometime later this week. I will keep you updated on when our shop will re-open. Now is your chance to get a dress if you have missed them on Etsy!

Auction Rules:

If you want to bid on this Cora dress...leave a comment.

You can outbid each other by leaving your amount in your comment.

You have to bid at least a dollar higher than the comment before yours.

The bidding will close Monday, March 1 at midnight (central standard time).

Don't forget that bidding will close for the hat and tutu at midnight tonight.

auction #3 {princess onesie}

Princess Onesie

Leah LaRae Baby

This is a Gerber onesie size 0-3 months.

This onesie is so cute! Can't you just imagine your little newborn with all that pink tulle on her little bottom?! Perfect for your little princess.

Auction Rules:

If you want to bid on this princess onesie...leave a comment.

You can outbid each other by leaving your amount in your comment.

You have to bid at least a dollar higher than the comment before yours.

The bidding will close Monday, March 1 at midnight (central standard time).

Don't forget that bidding will close for the hat and tutu at midnight tonight.

auction #2 {calla tutu}

Calla Tutu

Creative Glory

A sweet tutu named after a sweet little girl. This tutu is made from pink, blue, and green tulle. It has an elastic waist.

And guess what? Kathryn at Creative Glory has the Calla tutu listed in her Etsy shop. From now until Calla goes home (which could be very soon), she will be setting aside a portion of each Calla Tutu sold to give to Cora's for Calla.

Auction Rules:

If you want to bid on this colorful tutu...leave a comment.

You can outbid each other by leaving your amount in your comment.

You have to bid at least a dollar higher than the comment before yours.

The bidding will close Sunday, February 28 at midnight (central standard time).

auction #1 {baby chenille hat}

Auction #1

Baby Chenille Hat

The Cottage Petaler

This hat is made of baby chenille yarn and fits size 6-12 months.

I can't tell you how cute this hat is. What baby wouldn't look cute with feathers on top of her head? Joel said that it wouldn't be cute on Levi. Bummer. I guess it is not "boyish" enough.  Lesli, if we ever have another girl I think she is going to need a hat just like this! 

Auction Rules:

If you want to bid on this adorable hat...leave a comment.

You can outbid each other by leaving your amount in your comment.

You have to bid at least a dollar higher than the comment before yours.

The bidding will close Sunday, February 28 at midnight (central standard time).

giveaway #4 {winner}

The winner of giveaway #4 is...

Kristin Berghold (February 26 @ 3:50pm)
Congratulations Kristin!
Please e-mail me at contactthemacs@yahoo.com.

Thank you for being so patient with me as I sort everything out. Thank you also for joining me in praying for Calla. It sounds like little Calla should be coming home today or tomorrow. What a blessing! Ian and Julie are so excited to have their family all together again. And Ori will finally get to meet his little sister. What a sweet time that will be. I know the Johnsons would appreciate your continued prayers as they have a big transition ahead of them. 

The original plan was to be done with Cora's for Calla when Calla came home. But with the hold-up last week, I will continue to do the giveaways and auctions until all the donated items are gone. Even though Calla is coming home, the Johnsons still have a long road ahead. Calla will come home with monitors and oxygen. Julie and Ian will still be making lots of trips to Wichita for doctor appointments. I know your donations are such a blessing to them. Thank you!

Remember this cute pillow from the giveaway?

Micah from A Cherry On Top is donating 20% of her Etsy sales to Cora's for Calla. Her pillows are ADORABLE. Just mention "The Macs" in the comments to seller section when you are checking out. Thanks so much Micah!

I am working on the auction posts right now. Check back in a little bit!

cora's for calla {giveaway #4}

Levi and I thought there were way too many girlie things lately.

This one is for the boys...

Here is what you will win:

Airplane Pillow

A Cherry On Top

Space Burpies

The Little Sweet Pea

Pirate Wipe Case and Onesie

Southern Baby Boutique

Giveaway participation is free. Anyone can enter by leaving a comment on this post. As you leave your comment please remember to pray for Calla and her family! Comments will close at midnight (central standard time). The winner will be posted tomorrow morning.

If you are interested in donating to support the Johnson family you can use the donate button on the sidebar.

I am thinking I will auction off a few items this weekend. Check back tomorrow.

Happy Friday!

a little messy

Sorry about my absence.
Do you ever have weeks where everything feels like a mess?
That has been my week.
My house has been a mess.
My emotions have been a mess.
My spiritual life has been a little messy.
Levi has had a few days where he has been a mess.
And the Cora's for Calla fundraiser...
well, it had turned into a mess.

mess #1
It turns out that my little Levi DOES cry. I know, it is hard to believe. Earlier this week he spent lots of time trying out his lungs. He found out he can scream pretty loud. I think the poor guy has had some belly aches. And maybe a growth spurt. It is hard to know. But every time I started to get frustrated or tired, I just squeezed him a little tighter. I reminded myself of how blessed I am to be able to hold him at all, even if he is screaming. Although sometimes even my exhaustion overtakes my common sense. Thankfully Joel is around to keep me level headed. Oh, and the past few days have been much better. And Levi has started smiling at us all the time (when he is not screaming of course). And cooing too. It is SO sweet.

mess #2
I have been struggling. Struggling to find time to spend in the Word with little Levi around. Things are all of a sudden busy again--life has changed, again. And just like so many times before, I am having a hard time keeping my priorities straight. I remember going through this same thing after Cora was born. But this time I feel the absence so much more. My time with the Lord has been so sweet since we lost Cora. He has been my friend, guide, comforter, and so much more. I needed Him desperately to get through each day. And I still do. I have never longed for time with the Lord like I do now. I miss Him. I can tell a difference in my day and emotions and attitues when I haven't taken time out to talk to Him. Everything else starts feeling like a mess. And I don't want to keep moving forward like this. I am making it a priority from here on to set aside time each day for the Lord. At least I am praying that this would be my priority. My time with the Lord may look a little different now, than what it did before Levi was born. And that is okay. But I still need it. Not just a few passing seconds, but quality time. As my life becomes busy again with being a mom, I don't want to be so distracted by other things that I miss out on what is most important. I need to be solid in my relationship with the Lord so that I can be the best wife for Joel and the best mama for Levi. I need Him.

mess #3
I was getting so frustrated with the Cora's for Calla thing. I have been praying that the Lord would work in this "mess" and that I would be able to continue to love my friend through this fundraiser. Every idea I had or someone else suggested seemed to lead to a closed door. I thought I had everything cleared up with PayPal and then I got another e-mail saying that my account had been restricted again. Really?? I called, sent in more information, wrote several e-mails and then finally resolved the problem yesterday. I found out that they WILL allow me to accept donations as long as it is just a donation, no strings attached. NO RAFFLES. Apparently they are illegal, so I wouldn't suggest hosting one on your blog. And auctions are okay too.  So here is the plan for Cora's for Calla...

I am going to try a combination of giveaways and auctions. I will also be putting up the donations button again. This time we will just be taking donations from anyone who feels led to give, any amount. Even a few dollars, when added up with everyone else, goes a long way. The giveaways WILL NOT be tied to a donation. Although if you want to give and enter the giveaway that would be awesome...but you don't have to. Anyone can enter the giveaways. All I ask is that you would pray for Calla and her family and maybe even hop over to their blog and encourage them. The giveaways will be smaller and more frequent. And then every once in a while I will auction something off too, with the item going to the highest bidder.  Believe me, I have looked into a lot of things, and this just seemed like the least time consuming and best way to finish off Cora's for Calla. I have okayed everything with PayPal, so I think we are good. I know this is different than the original plan, so if you donated an item for Cora's for Calla and have a problem with what I am doing, please e-mail me. Otherwise, Cora's for Calla will resume tomorrow. Yeah! I am so relieved and excited to have this all figured out. I can't wait to see the Lord continue to work through this fundraiser. I am praying that this will be a huge blessing to the Johnsons.

I know that a lot of you think that I have it all together. I don't. My life is...well...a mess sometimes. But I am so thankful that my God can still use the messes in my life to accomplish His purposes. All that He asks is that I draw near to Him and He promises to draw near to me (James 4:8). I am so thankful for the hope and grace we find in Jesus. I am thankful that I don't have to live in fear of failure because of all of my messes.

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.

Matthew 11:28-30

The Message

I read this translation of Matthew at my Bible study a few days ago. I just love it! See you all tomorrow!

baby shower

The Lord has blessed me with great friends both near and far.

I mean really great friends.

The kind that stick with you through the tough stuff.

They see you at your worst.

They let you cry and even cry with you.

And they still love you through it all.

These are three of my "near" friends 

who have been there for me through a very tough year.

And, even now, they are still blessing me.

This time with a shower for Mr. Levi.

Everything was perfect.

Blue and green pom-poms hanging from the ceiling.

Fabric bunting with Levi's name on it.

Yummy food.

Of course!

Cupcakes with sarah + abraham toppers.

They were so cute.

Sara made the invitations too.

She is one of my "far" friends.

And she has just launched a great new website--

oh my! handmade goodness.

They even featured my baby shower on it this week!

More cute decorations.

These lollipops were made with washcloths 

and baby spoons by the very talented Heather.

She is another one of my "far" friends.

And she is the queen of party planning!

Silhouettes of my sweet family of four.

Heather made these too.

Thankfully, they told me to come early--

before everyone arrived--to get my tears out.

Oh, how I wish my family could all be together like in that picture.

Lots of great gifts too.

Levi is one spoiled little guy.

He is going to look quite handsome in all of his new clothes too!

The whole shower was so sweet.
But I think this was definitely one of my favorite gifts.
The girls had typed out verses with Levi's name in them.
They passed them around and everyone prayed
these verses for my little guy.
I loved it!
I cried through the whole prayer.
What a sweet thing to have all these ladies praying over Levi.

Here were a few of them:

Let Levi sing of your great love forever; let him make known your faithfulness through all generations.

Psalm 89:1

Fill Levi with the knowledge of your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, that he might live a life worthy of you, Lord, and please you in every way.

Colossians 1:9-10

I love the idea of praying scripture for your kids.

I have all the verses printed out 

and will continue to use them to pray for Levi.

And in case you want to do the same for your kids,

here are some verses to start you off:

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Psalm 5:11

Psalm 139:14

Isaiah 43:4

Proverbs 13:4

1 Kings 3:9, 12

Galatians 5:13

Galatians 5:22-23

Proverbs 9:10-12

Philippians 2:15-16

Joshua 1:9

Isaiah 48:17

Luke 2:52

Psalm 100:2

Romans 14:7-9

Psalm 141:3-4

1 Peter 4:8-11

Proverbs 3:5-6

Psalm 89:1

Colossians 1:9-10

If you have other methods that you use to pray for your kids, 

I would love to hear them.

Thanks so much Amanda, Kendall, and Julie for the fun shower!

And thank you Heather and Sara too!

I know you girls did tons of work and it meant so much to me.

***************************

I think that I am getting close to figuring something out for Cora's for Calla.

Sorry about the delay this week.

Please continue to pray for the Calla and her family!

levi {six weeks}

"You are getting so big."
That is what everyone says to you.
And you are.
You are growing, growing, growing.
It seems like you are always hungry too.
And even after a grouchy day like you had today,
I am so glad my days are filled with you.

*****************************

Thank you for all your suggestions yesterday.
I knew you would have ideas for me.
I am still working on a solution.
Hopefully I will be able to let you know more soon.

any ideas?

I hate to start the week off with bad news.
But, I've got some.
I received an e-mail from the PayPal police this weekend.
That is never good.
Apparently my raffle violates the gambling section
under their acceptable use policy.
I didn't know a raffle would be considered gambling.
But it is.
After all it is for a really good cause.
Doesn't he know that?
The e-mail said that I had to remove my donation button immediately.
So, I called to see if there was any way around it.
There isn't.
I tried.
Really hard.
I asked if I could have a disclaimer at the bottom of the raffle
that said that you didn't have to donate to participate in the raffle.
Mr. PayPal police said no.
It is still considered gambling.
I asked if I could keep the donate button and have giveaways instead.
Totally separate.
People could still donate.
It would not be linked to the giveaway at all.
Surely giveaways aren't considered gambling.
Mr. PayPal police said no again.
He said that in order to accept donations
I would have to get approved as a non-profit organization.
I tried.

So, now I need your help.
What should I do?

My guest room bed is covered with items that are supposed to be raffled.
There are some awesome things to giveaway.
And I know you want to see them too.
Do you know of another way I could accept donations?
Any ideas?

I would love to hear your suggestions.
After all, with how well Miss Calla has been doing,
she could be coming home soon.

Oh, and in case you are wondering.
All the donations received so far are fine.
We still have raised $2000 for Calla and her family.
And for that I am very thankful.

giveaway #3 {winner}

The winner of giveaway #3 is...

Becki (February 12 @ 7:05 am)
Congratulations Becki!
I will be e-mailing you soon so that we can get your package in the mail.

Thank you again for giving so generously.
We have raised $2000.00 for Calla and her family.

Amazing!

levi {one month}

Where has time gone?
My little Levi will be six weeks old tomorrow.
I thought I should post this before two months creeps up on me.
He is already doing things like smiling and sleeping 6-8 hours at night.
Way to go Levi!

We love you so much Levi. Although we are still missing your sister everyday, you have brought so much love and laughter to our house again. You are such an incredible blessing to us. Here are some things I want to remember about your first month:

You grew out of your newborn diapers the first week you were home.  You are now in size 1.

You also grew out of your newborn clothes. You are a growing boy! You are wearing 0-3 month clothes and I don't know how long you will last in those.

You are starting to like your baths. No more screaming!

I love when you stare at me with those big, deep blue eyes. 

You are a spit up baby. Definitely not as bad as your sister, but my piles of laundry are multiplying.

You are starting to give us little half smiles. I think you will be smiling in no time.

You are still sleeping in your bassinet in our room. You wake up every 3-4 hours at night, but you are a good sleeper.

You have the hiccups ALL the time, just like when you were in mama's tummy.

You are a true boy. Very noisy. You are definitely not a quiet baby and you are always grunting. I think you like to make your presence known.

At one month you are weighing in at 11 pounds 4 ounces. Obviously you are a good eater. You weren't a big fan of getting stripped down to be weighed. You let the nurse know by peeing all over her.  Oops!

I love you sweet baby boy.

cora's for calla {giveaway #3}

I think the giveaways keep getting better and better.

And Calla is growing, growing, growing.

Thank you for joining me in praying for the Johnsons.

Giveaway #3

This is what you will win:

Cora's Dress - 3 months (long sleeve)

Flannel Baby Blanket

Amanda Smith

Nursing Cover & Burpie

Hope Springs Designs

Layered Bow & Crocheted Hat

Brag Bling & Bows

Baby Girl & Baby Boy Blankets

Madivia Designs

Flower Onesie - 9-12 months

Leah LaRae Baby

Camouflage Bow

Leah LaRae Baby

Pink & Black Bow Set

Leah LaRae Baby

Earrings

The Spotted Lily

Bracelet

The Spotted Lily

(This is my cousin's new shop. She has great jewelry!)

Ruffle Bib

The Little Sweet Pea

Felt Flower Headband

Festive Frills

Thank you to the many people who have donated items for Cora's for Calla.
My mailbox has been overflowing!