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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / inspiration / for fun / An important “next step” for Maggie.

An important “next step” for Maggie.

November 14, 2016 · 4 Comments
Filed Under: for fun, inspiration

goldie plants maggie whitley

Well, hey there!

I have so much on my mind (I’m noticing this is a trend for me), and you probably gathered that if you took my survey within the last few days. Honestly, my goal was to receive 100 responses. But, friends, nearly 650 of you took the survey!

I have adored this space, I have treasured it and protected it for over eight years now. Even when my posting was infrequent or inconsistent, you have stayed with me. What a gift this community is to me! As I read through your feedback, so many different thoughts and feelings surface. Firstly, I think I’m in a little bit of shock that so many of you have been reading for years. Thirty percent of you have been following along for the last 3-4 years, and another 30% has been reading for the last 5-6 years. That is so, so cool to me. (Also, thank you!)

Secondly, if you took the survey, you probably remember me asking for your least favorite thing about my blog, and there were primarily two answers… either that I don’t post often enough (which many of you said you understand why; #manylittlechildren), or you wish I was still creating Gussy Sews products. Again, wow! So very cool! I’m excited to dive deeper with the rest of the survey results, and I’ll be picking the winners soon!

Another thing on my mind, something that I’ve felt a heart pull — before I even published the community survey, is that I want to be blogging more often. I’ve been confiding with my friends and my mom and my husband about this for years now. It’s time to get back into it. It is a genuine struggle, mostly because my brain shuts down fast once the sun sets. But, I am determined to write more often. And the same with creating. It can be hard to start, but I never regret it. The more I create (or write), the more inspired I feel to do more, and it gains a momentum all on it’s own. Do you feel that way about a hobby?

I need to discipline myself to write more. Will you help keep me accountable?

Besides, I’ve had no trouble in the past learning how to get more sleep, how to read more books, how to connect with each of my children during the day, how to practice (and thrive at) self-care, and how to become a better cook. So, I can totally teach myself how to write more consistently. I think this is an important “next step” for Maggie.

Besides, yesterday, Marigold turned seven months old. SEVEN. I can’t believe how fast my babies are growing up. Max will be four in March, and Natalie recently turned two. My tribe of little people are teaching me so much about life and flexibility, but so are a lot of books I’ve read lately (more to come on this topic). Quickly, if you haven’t read The Magnolia Story, you really should. I love Chip & Joanna Gaines encouraging message of patience, hope, hard work, and “doing things differently” simply because that was what they felt called to do.

one thousand gifts book maggie whitley

Alright, one more thing :) Remember my DIY macramé post from last month? I switched out the plant originally featured for one of the cuttings from our front porch plants (see photo above). Aren’t the baby leaves so cute? ;) With Winter coming, I brought them inside, and I trimmed them, snipped off any dead stems, and then put about ten cuttings in vases of water to re-grow new roots. I joke about this on Instagram often, but I really am becoming a plant lady. Ha ha. But, really, you should see my living room…

How was your weekend? If you took my community survey, know that I’m so grateful for your feedback. My mom is coming to visit today and we’re excited to have her attention for a couple days. I’m really looking forward to mapping out my “next steps”.

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4 Comments
Filed Under: for fun, inspiration

« This one is for you, dear community of readers…
What is the point of “One Thousand Gifts”? »

Comments

  1. Jordan says

    November 14, 2016 at 2:00 pm

    WOOHOO!

    Reply
  2. Michelle Markling says

    November 17, 2016 at 12:10 pm

    As a Mom of adult men I can tell you that they cherish the time with you when they are littles and bigs.Always being a constant in their world is so very important. They also learn at your feet or from your lap how to love and live at the same time and that they are part of what makes you who you are. My sons still talk about tiny special moments they have shared with me doing “Mom” stuff. Gods got this so you’ve got this.

    Reply
  3. Micky says

    November 18, 2016 at 1:23 pm

    I am excited to hear you’ll be blogging more! I really love coming to this space and reading your thoughts. They’re always encouraging, grounding, and inspiring for me.

    Also, wanted to letchya know that the Small Business e-book you co-authored with Elise has made a big difference in my little handmade biz! I started it (the biz) just over a month ago, but have been planning and dreaming for a while now, and reading about your business journey has been SO helpful for me as I took steps to start my own. It’s a family biz, both my Mom and Dad make items to sell as well through the shop as well. I LOVE that part of it. It’s so interesting to see what they end up creating! Anyhoo….

    You asked above how the weekend was… mine was lovely :). Spent it well, had some much needed knitting time, did a little reading… got a long walk in there. All around relaxing.

    Thanks for all you do, and have a great rest of the day!

    Best,

    Micky

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      November 18, 2016 at 1:52 pm

      Hi Micky, thanks so much for your comment! And I love hearing your feedback about our ebook. It was so fun to write with Elise. Would you mind leaving a review on Amazon for it? We would appreciate it SO much! Here’s a link for you, if you’re able to. xx

      Reply

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in northern Michigan. She has been writing online since 2008.
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maggiewhitley

maggiewhitley
My children have set up a fort in the kitchen & su My children have set up a fort in the kitchen & sunroom and included are two of my plants, a toy basket converted to a  playpen, and a “big sister” leading the pack. This is so precious to me. I love finding their candid photos on my phone. Their childhood is enriched when they engage in creative play and conversation, and I’m here as a witness to share that LESS TOYS is always better. I worked a major toy reduction yesterday and we’re all benefitting from this. ✨✨
Friends, do not underestimate the beautiful, trans Friends, do not underestimate the beautiful, transforming power of friendship during challenging seasons. I met Joanna almost TEN years ago, shortly after we moved to Los Angeles. She is also a Midwest girl, so we had that in common (snort). I have so many transformative stories of how this woman influenced me with her love for Jesus. I was quite a mess emotionally when I met Joanna. But she held on to me. She pulled me in and we laughed and brought our babies to the beach and we made meals and cried and of course laughed some more. I started the outline for a memoir in early 2020 and many of my stories point back to Joanna’s friendship. My family drove to see her family for a long weekend together. I always cherish our time together. So friends, do not underestimate the beautiful, transforming power of friendship during challenging seasons. Maybe you’re the one in need, maybe you’re the transformer. But either way, you need each other. 💓🫶🏻👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏻🌤
July 5, 2022 👏🏻🎈🧁🥳💓 July 5, 2022 👏🏻🎈🧁🥳💓
H A P P Y 37th B I R T H D A Y to myself (yester H A P P Y  37th  B I R T H D A Y to myself (yesterday)! Here’s a fun progression of personality as I show Zack some of the art and bday cards received in the mail 😅 gosh I just love when he doesn’t quit on the photographs 😉 tbh I’m used to it
Another night of studying. Plant lady fuel, or gra Another night of studying. Plant lady fuel, or grad school fuel 😏🌿☕️—you decide!
• • •
says Spurgeon, “The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains, proves that he has no brains of his own. Brethren, what is true of ministers is true of all our people. *You* need to read. . . .”
• • •
So, sisters: what are you reading tonight? 📖🤍🕯
Be present with those you actually live with and l Be present with those you actually live with and live near, those you share a table with. Be present and stay busy (in a healthy way) that makes you unable to pick fussy  fights with other people. Be unavailable to the nonsense; be fully available to things that make sense. — @jenwilkin (paraphrased) via @thegospelcoalition women’s conference
I’m thinking of all the things I enjoy about Zac I’m thinking of all the things I enjoy about Zack, and how much fun we had on our anniversary trip earlier this week. I’m thinking about how much I miss him as he’s on the other side of the country right now. Though I’m also thinking about the statistic I heard today, that only 5% of marriages survive to celebrate 50+ years. That is so sad. Marriage is an earthy treasure. Marriage strengthens, teaches, grows us—and it certainly brings joy—if we’ll let it. I don’t want you to roll your eyes at me and say “yeah well, you don’t know my story…” What I do want is for you to know the joy set before you as you commit to endure the race. ✨Marriage is an earthly treasure.✨ Does that ignite anything inside of you?
We had a FANTASTIC trip away celebrating our weddi We had a FANTASTIC trip away celebrating our wedding anniversary — # 1️⃣4️⃣! So much good food, laughing, movies, walking around Traverse City, sleeping, reading (and studying 👩🏼‍🎓). We had a little competition who could sleep in the latest one morning… and I won 😅🥳. But for real, we can’t wait to get home to our babies. They are an important part of our story.
Whew. We’ve made it through four months of Zack Whew. We’ve made it through four months of Zack working on a totally different time zone, with Zack working long hours, and often late into the night. We made it though lonely seasons and loud seasons and physically tiring seasons and communicating via text seasons. But, we made it. There will be more hard seasons for us, I know there will be. Today I’m really enjoying the relief brought on through a change in his work schedule. Living in the northern lower peninsula (PETOSKEY) has felt like a real-time vacation, with all the trees and fields and cool mornings and unexpected snowfalls and rainfalls  and helicopter falls as the seasons change from winter to spring to summer. Today we climbed a sand dune as a family. As I reached the top my heart galloped in my chest and my legs felt like fire, and it felt wonderful. It felt like living. I’m enjoying my life. We’ve had many roller coasters in our marriage, which makes the coasting even more beautiful. ☀️🌼💛🌟🍋🌕🍯
I like to read. It’s a good thing I like to read I like to read. It’s a good thing I like to read, because there’s a lot of reading on the syllabus. I also like coffee, 3/4 sleeve sweatshirts, slippers, birds, roaring with laughter, and spying on my children playing together. And winking at my husband. And reading. 😉
“I began to realize God has not given me more th “I began to realize God has not given me more than I could do, so I need to rest within the limitations of my season of life at that time. I began to say no to the expectations of other people that stole my energy and attention but did not build my core priorities. I had to ignore the false expectations and voices in my head that were telling me what I should do, and focus on my true desire to pursue what was best for me and my children,” Sally Clarkson /// one of my favorite spiritual mentors.

@sally.clarkson
Crazy to think last week we were at the beach 3️ Crazy to think last week we were at the beach 3️⃣ times! This week has been much cooler, though just as lovely. Gardening, studying outside, and early bedtimes grace the day. 🪴🌷🌼📖📓🛏🍃
Summer, we are here for you! Warm weather, windows Summer, we are here for you! Warm weather, windows open, books, dirt, and building forts. Memories — we’re gonna make some! 🧸💚🚚📚📖🪑🧺🌳☀️
(IG thinks I’m nude so I edited my bathing suit (IG thinks I’m nude so I edited my bathing suit with my best skillz) /// We went back today 💦🐠🧴at first, when the kids asked over breakfast, I didn’t want to go. All the gathering of items and sand, and this time I knew we needed to bring snacks. And the sand! But I said yes. If they finished their school nicely and quickly, we’d have lots of time to go. And they did, so we went. IT WAS SO FUN, just like they anticipated. So glad I said yes 🥳
We loaded up the van with beach towels and 💦wat We loaded up the van with beach towels and 💦water and 🧴SPF 50 and headed to Walloon Lake! The first swim of the season, fitting as it was 84° today. All morning we were antsy, right up until our skin hit the water. We were the first ones at the 🏖beach today, though not the only ones when we left. My hair smells like ☀️sunshine and my skin is thanking me for the SPF. We had an easy 🍽dinner on the back deck; everyone was thankful it was beginning to cool off. The washing machine is humming and the school table is ready for another day, as their 📚✏️books are laid out. What does tomorrow hold? Only One knows… 🥰🙏🏼
a favorite from Saturday night date #latergram! St a favorite from Saturday night date #latergram! Steaks and sunsets and a table for two 💫
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