Maggie Whitley Designs

Inspiration is all around you.

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contact Maggie Whitley Designs

EMAIL MAGGIE:
maggie@maggiewhitley.com

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customerservice@maggiewhitley.com

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie has been writing online since 2008 to inspire women to pursue the adventure of life. Her blog writings are centered around faith, simple living, motherhood & cultivating joy. Maggie and her family live near Detroit where she home schools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood.
"Inspiration is all around you."
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TOPICS I WRITE ABOUT

POPULAR POSTS:

How we paid off over $65K in debt in 3 years
Having a TV detox & minimizing our toys
How we paid off $42K in debt in 2 years
How to style your wavy (or curly) hair
How to sew a zippered pouch
How to accurately price your handmade items
How we are getting out of debt
How to make a freedom change
What to focus on when you "stay at home"
Twenty "20-minute crafts" you must try
Having something to look forward to

maggiewhitley

I help moms find the JOY in motherhood & homemaking 🧺🌿💓✨ see my Stories for even more hope.

We’re taking a week off school to enjoy spring!

We’re taking a week off school to enjoy spring! 🌤🚲🍎🧺🍃On the docket: playing outside, devouring new recipes, reading through stacks of books, building a mud kitchen for our backyard, going on family bike rides, and watching the buds bloom. Lots of fresh air is required to keep our minds fresh and hopes a float. Yes?

yes & Amen! 🖤 2 Timothy 1:7 // what verse(s) ar

yes & Amen! 🖤 2 Timothy 1:7 // what verse(s) are you studying right now?

We’re welcoming in the weekend with a relaxed ho

We’re welcoming in the weekend with a relaxed home atmosphere. Warm oatmeal with bananas and raisins, cool morning air coming in from a crack in the kitchen window, and hot coffee for me and Zack. Beds unmade (minus mine ;)), dishes left in the sink, blankets draped over the couches and chairs. It’s the reminder that children grow up bit by tiny bit every day that helps me relax. Motherhood is joyful when we remember we are capable and we can conquer the day. Take it hour by hour if you must. But take the delights of motherhood hour by hour, too.

hanging out with proverbs 3, verses 13-18 this mor

hanging out with proverbs 3, verses 13-18 this morning. // “blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding. ... she is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. ... her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. she is a tree is life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.” // during times like this, when time is of abundance and my mind can really wander, i have to take captive my thoughts. i have to stay strengthened in biblical wisdom. it’s good for our mothering hearts to remember who gives us strength: christ! we sit as his feet and receive.

Books and plants, and books and plants, and books

Books and plants, and books and plants, and books and plants, and fresh air! 🌤🌿📖 Some of the ways we’re surviving right now. How about you? Have you made a daily rhythm sheet to tape on the wall so you don’t keep looking at the clock? 📋🙋🏼‍♀️How are you staying positive? How are you creating a spirit-filled home? We’re a family of four young ones and so taking turns is the name of the game — literally, and also as playmates. 💕

Working on my heart this afternoon while UPPER ROO

Working on my heart this afternoon while UPPER ROOM plays. 🎶🎵The big kids are outside for recess; the toddler & the dog are taking naps. Last night we built a bookshelf for our living room and I just love how it’s coming together. I’m really leaning into the process of “expecting mess amidst the journey”. It makes the scene so much more beautiful, IMO. Life is a series of scenes... from waking up and your eye lashes fluttering to tiny voices running with questions, to the evening hustle of putting the home back in order in preparation for a new day. I love the scriptures from Proverbs 14:1 & 4. Today the curtains are wide opens, the plants are leaning soaking up the light, the floor has been swept and the books are piled from tiny reading parties. Really thankful to be awake right now; there’s much good to receive from today.

Helloooo👋🏻💗after 3.5 months off social me

Helloooo👋🏻💗after 3.5 months off social media, and guess what?! I THRIVED! It was wonderfully refreshing to have so much quiet. Of course I read a lot (including this great book), but I also journaled kinda incessantly and became even more aware of a few important things. After 10+ years online, and mostly as a handmade business owner, it was very refreshing for me to be away. I have matured so much 😭thanks to the help of so many women who have helped me learn how to mother well. Now I want to show up online for me, Maggie. Not because of pressure or expectation, or any other business-y reason. So here I am. During my time offline, I read a stack of books, added to my houseplant collection, leaned into homeschooling even more. Perhaps most profoundly I leaned into the silence of motherhood. The labor of it, it’s sacrificial work, the impact it has on generations & generations. What’s my role in all this??💗That’s what I celebrated and revered while away.

On this sunny, chilly day I’m feeling very refre

On this sunny, chilly day I’m feeling very refreshed after some time spent studying through Numbers 13 & 14. Instrumental music playing, warm coffee, a napping dog nearby. I used a devotional by @sally.clarkson to prompt my bible reading. There isn’t much we can control about the world, as we’re all gravely aware, but we can control our selves and our minds. This deeply encourages me. 💗

Who else needs a door over their lips? 🌿 I need

Who else needs a door over their lips? 🌿 I need one in the mornings, for sure. Pausing and smiling instead, letting the emotion move past me, is what I need. In fact, this verse is taped to the trim of my kitchen window. Wise words. Who else can relate?

THERE’S STILL TIME! 👛🧵my handmade shop, Gu

THERE’S STILL TIME! 👛🧵my handmade shop, Gussy Sews, is stocked with a limited edition of ruffles zip pouches. This time around I have two sizes, a medium zip for $30 or an XL zip for $42. Visit my shop for the full collection, and tag your friends so they don’t miss out. 🎉🎉hello, Christmas gift! Which fabric design is your favorite? I just can’t get enough of the orange 🍊🌿!!!

She’s discovered how fun it is to rinse dishes,

She’s discovered how fun it is to rinse dishes, and I’ve discovered (again) how fun it is to show our children how their gifts & interests are an important piece to a family’s puzzle. Chores don’t have to be horrible, terrible, no good work. They can be fun. They’re often the most fun once we’ve first had a good deal of play. Sometimes it just requires thinking outside the box? That’s the greatness of motherhood.

JOY in motherhood: noticing beauty and bringing be

JOY in motherhood: noticing beauty and bringing beauty along as we care for others, serve others, go about our precious lives. My daily bag is used for many different purposes, but my Gussy Sews pouch is a constant companion inside. 👛 She works hard to keep my bag organized. See my Stories for a 15% off discount code, valid now through 12/6.

Lately, I’ve been letting my children play make

Lately, I’ve been letting my children play make believe in the morning hours. They have been so creative with their stories that I’ve let them free play until lunch time. Once lunch is over and Landon (my 17mo) is asleep, we learn. Today I had two nappers, so our lessons felt very quiet with just two around the table. Marigold even painted while Max drew rattlesnakes. It’s amazing what our children create when they truly want to learn. Teaching my children myself has opened my eyes to the wonder of childhood, the depth of learning, the seriously ridiculous thoughts I have (solely based on what’s expected, not what’s best) regarding education. This time around the table is very important for me as a mother. It’s causing me to really THINK about what I want, what I feel important and valuable, not just what is expected or routine. These days are everything to me.

This afternoon, after a few solitary hours at the

This afternoon, after a few solitary hours at the library working & writing, I came home to my four young kids and committed to just be present with them. 🍃It’s hard for me to “switch “on & off writing mode and home mode and kids mode and creative mode, it takes a lot of brain power for me. But this is where the sweet spot of experiencing JOY as a mother comes in :: choosing to exercise control. Living this way (with joy) requires self-control and is hard, but it’s the better path to be on. I don’t really believe in multi-tasking (🤯), rather focusing on something for a set period of time, then reevaluating. Twenty-minute increments are my sweet spot for joy. 💓🧸🧺✨🍃What is your sweet spot?

👛The GUSSY SEWS shop is now open! So many prett

👛The GUSSY SEWS shop is now open! So many pretty ruffles, yay! Use code GRATEFUL for 10% off + free domestic shipping. Visit #shopgussydotcom

It’s finally happening: my brain released some c

It’s finally happening: my brain released some creativity and so I ordered fabric, more wooden buttons, and got to work sewing! I’ll be releasing a GUSSY SEWS holiday pop-up shop soon! See my stories for how to receive a 15% off discount code 😘👏🏻👛! Like I’ve been known to say, yeoooow!

Mamas! This! ✨🎨🎄My friend Emily at @jonesd

Mamas! This! ✨🎨🎄My friend Emily at @jonesdesigncompany has put together a watercolor class for kids (plus one for slightly older children/adults), and I can’t believe how many ideas are coming to mind with this FUN online class. You could apply the art techniques and projects to a variety of gift ideas or home decor. Use code MAGGIE25 at checkout to save 25%: http://simplifiedclasses.com/watercolorkids1 — see my Stories for even more class photos 👏🏻🥰

Sharing a little in my Stories about why I’m com

Sharing a little in my Stories about why I’m committed to homeschool *even though* it is hard work. 📚And let me share... This isn’t the path I thought we’d take for our children’s education, but once I learned more about the many many benefits it made such sense. This year we are working through 1st grade, Kinder and preschool with My Father’s World.

We had a four fun days away. Now that it’s Monda

We had a four fun days away. Now that it’s Monday and we’re back home it’s time to start the wash, water the plants, pour over new ideas and lessons with our school work. Three of my kids are outside in snow pants 👏🏻 tell me what rhythms you have on Monday?

Super missing my man while he’s away at deer cam

Super missing my man while he’s away at deer camp. Hello, opening day! Also, last Saturday we went on a fantastic date that included hot cups of coffee, driving around gorgeous, old Detroit neighborhoods, and visiting a four story used bookstore! —jaw drop— I found two awesome books for my “teacher” library and also two books for the kids. 📚✌🏻I’ll share next week once we’re back home.

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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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