Maggie Whitley Designs

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

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contact Maggie Whitley Designs

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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 metro-Detroit. She has been writing online since 2008.
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recent posts:

Soap suds and long-lasting comfort July 2, 2020
Our summer schedule with young children June 23, 2020
The steady rhythm of slumber June 19, 2020
Life around here! June 17, 2020
The secret to staying calm June 5, 2020
3 questions to ask your family… June 2, 2020
M is for “margin” and “midday” May 25, 2020
How to “keep moving forward” May 19, 2020

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TOPICS I WRITE ABOUT

maggiewhitley

JOY in motherhood & homemaking 🧺🌿💓✨

Not a bad view to end the evening with! ☺️🎀

Not a bad view to end the evening with! ☺️🎀🎂This is 35.

🌾Writing on my blog consistently has always hel

When I started out my motherhood journey I didn’

When I started out my motherhood journey I didn’t know the name of the issue, though I knew the issue was there. I was lonely, I had bouts of depression, and I was uninformed in so many topics. Plus we had just moved to Los Angeles! But one thing I knew; I loved my new role as mama and I was determined to find the answers.
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God gave me a dear friend to help carry my burdens, Joanna, and alongside her friendship was the biblical example of being rooted in scripture. There’s nothing that has refreshed my weary self quite like the peace of Christ.
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Over seven years later, and four babies later, I still feel lonely and depressed and uninformed at times, but not at all as heavy as before. Those were dark years.
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Perhaps the most comforting part of my story is even though I have hardship, Christ gives me community to multiple my joy and divide my sadness... If something feels off, ask a friend to pray with you. Seek, and you WILL find.
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My time in the Word, all that I’ve learned as an adult, isn’t meant to remind me of what wasn’t, but rather to envelop me with all Christ has for me. He is good. He watches over us and gathers us in His wings. He fills us with His light so we aren’t alone. And with this light we can pass it on to a friend in need.
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Oh, the imagery this provides. Oh, how great He is to always provide. 👏🏻🕊🕯

💞🎠📓🌾 Summer days with young children.

My home is never always clean, nor is one entire r

My home is never always clean, nor is one entire room of our home fully clean. 🤷🏼‍♀️🧺🧹Like our main floor bathroom, I need to sweep the floors and clean the tub, but I don’t need to clean the toilet or sink & mirror. This is how I partly keep the joy in motherhood. Do what I can. The other “how” is by simply enjoying life, right here and now. But don’t get me wrong, I call on my friends often for support. Thanks Molly, Christina & Lauren. 🥰

Peace! Who else needs peace in their life? 👏🏻🙋🏼‍♀️I can’t raise my hand high enough. Let me know how I can pray for you! I’m praying for all my dear sisters this morning.

Dandelions have always been a personal favorite. 🌼 I love their wildness and the color. Hand picked by my oldest son, the one who made us parents 7 year ago. And lucky for me, I get to be raise our four children alongside this man. Happy Father’s Day weekend, Zack!

👏🏻 I’m 33% through (lol, who writes that?!

👏🏻 I’m 33% through (lol, who writes that?!) and loving the story so much. If you read “The Glass Castle”, this is it’s sister book as it’s the story of Jeannette’s grandmother. In our home, books are the main activity of choice — as you can clearly see from the scattering on the floor. This is normal, and I love it.✨🖤📚 #mwdreads

13 things to share with you, here are two: . 🌾

13 things to share with you, here are two:
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🌾 WONDERING how you are doing. What song lyrics are you lifting up to the Lord? What creative projects are you working on, or avoiding? Tell me what you’re making for supper? What does your summer schedule look like, and is this refreshing for you? How are your relationships treating you? Do you read for leisure? Do you have any needs? How can I be praying for you?
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💞 ENJOYING the process of working on a larger writing project. A couple months ago I read Big Dreams, Daily Joys and have since implemented a few very helpful techniques to clear the mental clutter and stay on task. First, I ditched the computer. I wrote down “my big idea” along with a few subtopics, elaborating as the details came to mind. I flipped back and forth between pages, like a bird enjoying a bath — water drops everywhere, until I felt satisfied. It took me a couple of brainstorming sessions, but I did it. Only then, with satisfaction in tow, did I open my computer and write in complete sentences. (Oh! Another helpful technique was to remove my email from my phone.)
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📖 A new blog post is live, link in bio.

It’s nearly 4 o’clock and most of my children

It’s nearly 4 o’clock and most of my children are still napping. There are socks on the floor, books piled on the beds, and a bird feather off to the side. When we guide ourselves to sit in the quiet, many voices come out to speak. I hear them loudly when it’s quiet. How about for you? What kind of quietness are you giving yourself so you can hear yourself speak? What praises do you hold, what grievances do you carry, what Truth do you believe about your self? Sister, remember there are many wonderful characteristics about you. Perhaps you have a gentle & quiet spirit. Perhaps you are a prayer warrior. Perhaps you’re fantastic at hospitality, noticing others, or teaching. We need you, and we need these characteristics. We need your Light which comes from the light source: God. So sit in the quiet, take note of the voices, and remember “you are” because “He is”.

My project this week is to continue working on a d

My project this week is to continue working on a download for you to be reminded of all that you are through Christ. 🕊 My soul thrives in these reminders. Our minds easily forget, especially when we let the world in and floods of worry, comparison, fear, judgement threaten ruin. 💕📖 Rooting ourselves in God’s word is a daily practice. I’m excited to finish this project, and then share it. 🖤

I met the cutest group of kids at the beach! 〰️⛱🏄🏼‍♀️ we had such a nice, slow weekend. The thing I’m realizing about our Friday-Saturday sabbath is it naturally extends to Sunday 🤗 can’t complain about that! /// What is a happy memory from your weekend?

Today is our third week celebrating Sabbath. For 2

🤸🏼‍♀️💞📓Tuesday & Thursday are my

🤸🏼‍♀️💞📓Tuesday & Thursday are my writing days. As usual, I have much on my mind and the only way to clear the dust is to write it down. I love how Margaret Atwood says, “the trash can is your friend”. 🗑 Who cares if it takes a few takes for the story to come together, why demand perfection? I appreciate how Natalie Goldberg describes the story process as “composting”. 🌱Similar to how a life takes time to grow, good stories take time to develop. And of course I’d be amiss to not include the wisdom from my favorite Sally, Sally Clarkson, who encourages us to set aside 15 minutes of quiet each day to re-center ourselves around truth, goodness & beauty. ☕️ I depend on this slowness almost like I depend on air to breathe. // These three truths have been like candles for me, helping me to see there IS a right path to take, but experienced guidance makes for a wonderful companion... 🕯

#blackouttuesday

#blackouttuesday

What are you reading? What changes are you leaning

What are you reading? What changes are you leaning into? 🕯🖤I have a short but powerful list of things God has brought to light since Labor Day of last year, with many of them happening since March of this year.

To answer my question, I’m very close to finishing “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by @johnmarkcomer. Y’all said I’d love it when I mentioned it earlier this month. And, y’all were right! 👏🏻😭very good stuff, many sentences and chapters underlined and “!!!” in the margin.

In the moment, pain hurts, but I trust my Maker and the growth He is faithful to provide over & over & over again. He will prove this to be true, if only we can be patient. 📖Don’t forget to tell me: what are you reading???

This morning at breakfast, Zack shared with our ch

This morning at breakfast, Zack shared with our children our plans for the day. We’ve been so productive and are thisclose to settling in to Sabbath rest after dinner. We’ve done an entire page of chores in just a few hours, working together, just in time for the rain to pour down. We enjoyed it on our covered front porch. Landon couldn’t contain himself, he was squealing like a little piggie. So excited. 💦 I even filled up my outdoor watering can with the rain water. Now, everyone is on a bed with a stack of books. I have a cup of coffee and two books myself. I’m resting quickly before finishing preparing our Sabbath meals. Here’s our menu: take-out tonight, frittata with bacon & toast tomorrow, turkey & cheese roll ups with fruit and veggies for lunch, meatballs & sautéed green beans for dinner. 🌾happy Friday to you, friends. What are your weekend plans? PS. swipe to see my “before” bookshelf, isn’t she coming into herself nicely? :)

Capture the weeds, bring them in and give them a d

Capture the weeds, bring them in and give them a drink of water. The weeds are often just as colorful as the flowers, and what if instead of existing only to make you labor, you looked at them with fresh wonder —wow, look at the beautiful colors you posses? “Look how well you’re doing at causing my children to smile, causing me to smile? You’re doing a great job, and I love your pretty outfit.” 🌱🌾🌼 Weeds are lovely little pep-talk instigators.

We celebrated our first ever Sabbath Friday evenin

We celebrated our first ever Sabbath Friday evening. I am so 🤩🤩over all that the Lord is doing in our lives, our marriage, our ability to transform. For 24 hours we feasted as a family of six, walked in nature, napped, enjoyed fulfilling activities, resisted chores & stress. It was completely phenomenal. Friday was a random day we picked that felt like a good fit for our family. And boy oh boy, was it ever! I can’t believe Zack and I are gearing up for 12 years of marriage in June. When couples say, marriage gets better with time, I couldn’t exactly relate. But now? I am like yesssss, all the strength required to work through the hard stuff, it’s clicking. IT IS SO WORTH IT! We’ve experienced James 4:8 so many times in the last eight months. I’ve written it down in my journal, and so it’s confirmed: these smiles aren’t fake, these are the real deal. I am honored to be Zack’s wife. And ps. —Friday night, I’m counting down until you’re here! :) #sabbathrest

“If mothers could learn to do for themselves wha

“If mothers could learn to do for themselves what they do for their children when these are overdone, we should have happier households. Let the mother go out to play!” — Charlotte Mason /// 🌤🎠💞one of the best things I can ever do for myself during these young, precious years, is go outside to play with my children.

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devotionals written by Maggie:

the (in)courage Devotional Bible:
Proverbs 14:1 and Lamentations 5

31 Days of Prayer for the Dreamer and Doer:
on Simplicity

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