• mamahood
    • homeschool
    • Maxwell
    • Natalie
    • Marigold
    • Landon
    • baby things
  • faith
    • 23 identities PDF
    • Tanzania + Compassion
  • inspiration
    • our home
    • books
    • lifestyle
    • marriage
    • homeschool
    • simple living
    • we’re debt free!
    • book recommendations
  • homeschool
  • devotionals
    • (in)courage Devotional Bible
    • 31 Days of Prayer for the Dreamer & Doer
  • new? start here

Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / inspiration / 7 pretty things / {7 pretty things on Sunday}

{7 pretty things on Sunday}

March 27, 2011 · 24 Comments
Filed Under: 7 pretty things

Happy Sunday! Zack and I spent the afternoon yesterday in a part of Minneapolis called Uptown. I view that area as more of a “small town feel” to the big city. Downtown is mostly sky-rises and hotels and fancy restaurants. Uptown has more of a smaller, historic feel — cute shops, smaller restaurants/cafes/bakeries, etc. It’s totally different and I love both parts of the city equally, but for different reasons. Oh my word, the houses that are in Uptown, they are gorgeous and huge and so old! Yesterday we saw a house with turquoise trim and there was a small statue over the front porch, the yard had a light post with gargoyles on each “branch” where the lights extended from. It’s an amazing area :]

This 7 pretty things on Sunday post was inspired by our afternoon spent in Uptown yesterday. We took the bus and then walked a little bit once we got to that part of the city. The sun was shining… it was a glorious day with my man! PS. photos 3 & 4 are of Minneapolis! PSS. I’m realllllly excited to share the photos we took for our magazine feature. They are so cute!! Eeekk :]

Living in a big city has really changed our lifestyle and our view on having a car {we actually don’t have one!!!}, how we order groceries, what we do on weekends, how we travel… I’m excited to share more of this in an upcoming post. xoxo.

[photo credits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Today’s question: Have you ever lived in a big city? If yes, where did you live & what part did you love the best? If no, where would you love to live? {even if this is just a dream}

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Print
  • LinkedIn


24 Comments
Filed Under: 7 pretty things

Join over 4,400 women who receive Maggie Whitley Designs inspiration & encouragement:

 

Loading

« {happy day + some biz updates}
{group giveaway :: March sponsors} »

Comments

  1. MARY says

    March 27, 2011 at 11:54 am

    I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and took it for granted, but didn’t realize that until moving to Iowa. I love love love Kansas City and would move there in a heart beat if we could take everyone we love, here, with us! :)

    Reply
  2. Lape says

    March 27, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    Hi Gussy,
    I live in a big city – Lagos, Nigeria. At least, it’s considered the ‘big city’ here in Nigeria :-) I’ve lived here all my life except when I went to university in a different state (which only made me appreciate Lagos more). Anyway, I would love to live in Sydney or Barcelona. Or maybe Sydney AND Barcelona. Either way, I hope I get the opportunity to do that one day :-) I really like your blog.

    Reply
  3. JeNeal says

    March 27, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    SO all my life i have lived in a small town. Heber City, UT actually..(population of maybe 11000) I hated it and wanted to move to a big ol’ city and leave this small town behind! I did leave that city behind and took off to Sunny St George which is a lot bigger than Heber but definitely small town. I now live in Spokane which is the second largest city in WA. I absolutely love it here! I love that I live only 5 min away from downtown but I don’t live in the Chaos of a big city. I live up on the South Hill away from all the craziness but i’m only a little drive away if i ever wanna participate in the craziness (which well isn’t really that crazy)! I love the faster paced lifestyle with the slower paced people! :D Which is exactly how Spokane feels. *if that makes any sense*
    ~I would love to live in an even bigger city though! I would love to live in Portland.. I’ve never been there but I hear its BEAUTIFUL! Or even Seattle.. never been there either.. not sure if i could handle so much rain though.
    Okay well I’ve rambled on and on in this comment But i just loved your question! *made me think* I also LOVE your blog, I just ran into it (while blog stalking) yesterday! I fell in love! And you have inspired me to follow my dream! Well thanks for your post!! LOVED the pictures!!!!

    Reply
  4. Dallas says

    March 27, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    I have never lived in a big city…and I don’t think I would ever want to! Sure it has it’s perks…but country living is by far the best. I would love to live on a quarter section of land in a beautiful house that my hubs and I designed our selves, with a swing on the porch, a cute little breakfast nook, a big red barn outside full of farm animals, and some tractors and stuff too!
    p.s. order groceries? If this means what I think it does that’s pretty cool!

    Reply
  5. Marilyn says

    March 27, 2011 at 12:40 pm

    This is a very timely question for me, because we just moved to the NYC-area. So, I don’t know my favorite things yet; I’m in the process of discovering that. :-) But it’s fun and informative to hear about other people’s favorite things.

    Reply
  6. Morgan says

    March 27, 2011 at 12:49 pm

    Two weeks after we were married, my husband and I packed our car and moved from our small hometown in Wisconsin to Seattle! We were young and didn’t know a soul out there but couldn’t have been more excited! It was a scary time but also one of the best times. I loved that everything was at my fingertips and there was always something going on. Pike Place Market was full of people watching, live musicians on every street and the food, oh the food!!! Once we decided to start a family, we moved back to Wisconsin. While I miss the city, I love raising our kids in the quaint town that I grew up in!

    Reply
  7. Whtiney - Frames & Names says

    March 27, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    We live in a suburb of Dallas and totally take it for granted. It’s about 30 minutes to get into actual downtown for us and is on a tollway so we RARELY ever go. I would love to live either in a downtown area or right outside of one, especially if it were a place where we didn’t have to have a car, etc. You guys are so blessed to be able to do that!

    Reply
  8. Cassie says

    March 27, 2011 at 2:15 pm

    I love the uptown area! I used to work in Uptown right off of lake Calhoun and all summer (weather permitting) I took my lunch out side and ate by the lake. I love the small town shops and places like that. A little south of the lake check out the hunt & gather antique store. It is AMAZING and I could spend hours in their, “hunting” for treasures! Also in the summer the band shell has concerts every week and just walking around all three of the lakes is wonderful. I can’t remember the name of the little cafe on Lake Calhoun, but it is near where you rent the boats and things, and they have awesome fish tacos! Well now that I professed my love for Uptown I hope you enjoy it too! It is a great place!

    Reply
  9. HopefulLeigh says

    March 27, 2011 at 2:29 pm

    I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and loved having access to all that the city offered- the Chicago White Sox, shows, musicals, amazing food, and some of the best people watching I’ve ever experienced. Now I live in Nashville, which is a city but not as urban as Chicago is. Half the time I feel like I still live in a suburb! Still, it’s been fun to explore and figure my way around this city.

    Reply
  10. natalie says

    March 27, 2011 at 2:36 pm

    New York City is my favorite place in all the world! Until my dream becomes a reality, I create city experiences in my little central Illinois home by walking wherever and whenever I can.

    Reply
  11. Ruby Girl says

    March 27, 2011 at 2:51 pm

    i live in mpls & feel that this post captures the city beautifully… let’s hang out sometime? :) <3 EverRubyGirl.blogspot.com

    Reply
  12. Kim @lucyjanestudio says

    March 27, 2011 at 4:54 pm

    We lived in Chicago for 6 years and I LOVED it! Then, we had twins and it posed many more challenges to stay in the city. I miss the restaurants and smell of a big city. My favorites were going for walks in the summer.

    We now live in a small historic river town in a 100 year old cottage home. We are only here for two years, so here’s to our future town…may it be a great one. :)

    Reply
  13. Andrea says

    March 27, 2011 at 7:25 pm

    I lived in Phoenix, AZ, and I loved how easy it was to get to where I wanted/needed to go, yet every suburb/part of the city as a whole has it’s own small town feel. I now live 2 hrs north of LA and love that I am close enough to take a day trip to the textile district down there. Although, I would never take back growing up in a small town in MI and going north every summer to camp. You can’t replace or replicate that.

    Reply
  14. katy reitz (lil' alice) says

    March 27, 2011 at 7:37 pm

    i grew up in a suburb of detroit, mi. then i married my husband and i live in the town he grew up in. it’s the little town with one street light! there are villages with in the town. i love it! i know everyone, almost everyone. i work at the school my kids attend so i know all the ins and outs of it all. just googled the population, 13,700 people. i am about 40 minutes south of my childhood home. i go to the city for church and stores etc but i love coming back to my 2 lane country roads.

    we go to chicago at least once a year and the boys love the big city feel. they love that you have to walk everywhere.

    i can’t wait to hear how you order your groceries. is that a popular thing? i do order my fruit and veggies from door to door organics. i’m apporx 20 miles from the grocery store so it’s nice to get the deliver of fruits and veggies so i don’t have to go weekly. to me it’s worth it.

    katy

    Reply
  15. taradara says

    March 27, 2011 at 10:22 pm

    I grew up in a very small town {1,200 people!} and moved the day after graduation to Vancouver, BC. There are so many AWESOME traits of that city … the seawall, Stanley Park, fresh fish from Granville Island. I loved how everything was so accessible. Many years forward = We live in a big city with a family, not downtown, of course. I still love the accessibility and the opportunities for our boys that the city has to offer.
    However, I did love growing up in a small community and love going back to my roots.

    Reply
  16. hannah says

    March 27, 2011 at 10:44 pm

    we love love LOVE minneapolis! we live a bit west though, in grand forks, north dakota. we visit very frequently! philadelphia(fave) and chicago are both amazing, minneapolis is much cleaner though;)
    great photos-love your blog! xo

    Reply
  17. Charmaine says

    March 27, 2011 at 10:50 pm

    I live in Vancouver, BC and love it! I’ve lived here for a couple years now, but the highlight was definitely the 2010 Olympics!

    Reply
  18. Mandi says

    March 28, 2011 at 11:42 am

    I lived in Nashville for 3 years and LOVED it. (I guess Nashville is a “big” city? It doesn’t *feel* that way, which is part of the appeal.) It’s hard to say what I loved most about it — probably that I never ever got bored. It’s a beautiful place and I’d go back in a heartbeat.

    Reply
  19. beth says

    March 28, 2011 at 11:47 am

    We currently live in Dorchester, a neighborhood of Boston. Most days I love to ease of access to public transportation and fun things to do in Boston. I’m a sports fan, so I love being able to get to a Red Sox game without driving. I also love all the great restaurant options we have to choose from! Other days, I get annoyed with parking (when I can’t find a spot close enough) and the way people drive…Bostonians live up to their rep ;-)

    Reply
  20. Barb says

    March 28, 2011 at 1:42 pm

    i live in new york city and i love it, everything about it actually! i live in one of the outer boroughs and i take the ferry every day past the statue of liberty to get into manhattan for work… sometimes i have to remind myself that it’s a really special experience and not just any old commute!
    i also lived in rome, italy for a semester… the food, the history, the most beautiful churches i’ve ever seen! it was amazing, and being able to walk everywhere made it even better… i would love to go back :-)

    Reply
  21. Brandi says

    March 28, 2011 at 2:24 pm

    I have lived in Baton Rouge, LA for about seven years. I started out here to go to LSU and then stayed. I do NOT want to stay here forever. I’m going to visit Boston in the fall & I hope it tickles my fancy. If not, Seattle or Portland is my next option. Don’t get me wrong, its a nice little place, but its definitly not for me in the long run.

    Brandi

    Reply
  22. Katie P says

    March 28, 2011 at 3:58 pm

    I live in Chicago with my husband, and we don’t have a car either! I actually love it, though (as I’m sure you know) sometimes it’s a bit inconvenient. It makes us walk more though and I love that. We also love all the great food in the city — so many great amazing restaurants, 99% of which are unique to Chicago and not chains!

    Reply
  23. Sarah-Anne says

    March 28, 2011 at 4:40 pm

    great pics, as always. you know how to work weheartit.com, girlfriend. ;)

    Reply
  24. Hannah says

    March 30, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    I have lived in Seattle my whole life except when I was in college and one year which I spent in some Seattle suburbs. I LOVE living in the city. Seattle has a lot of great little neightborhoods that are almost like towns unt themselves. We have great restaurants and theatres, lots of good farmers markets throughout the city. The neighborhood I live in has a small town kind of feel but I have an outstading view of the Space Needle, downtown and the port. I love sitting in my room at night overlooking the city (I’m on the very top of a tall hill). The city lights are so beautiful and I can watch ferries come and go. I love it here!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

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.
READ MORE >>
  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS

EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Join over 4,400 women who receive Maggie Whitley Designs inspiration & encouragement:

 

Loading

instagram

maggiewhitley

JOY in motherhood & homemaking 🧺🌿💓✨

maggiewhitley
Reflecting on this today 💓🕊 When I reflect o Reflecting on this today 💓🕊 When I reflect on the moments I’ve felt my mind spinning, my emotions swirly, it’s almost always when I’m not feasting on the word of God. Not that reading scripture is the cure for anxiety —no! Rather, it’s hard to worry when we’re worshipping.
.
.
.
.
.
#womenintheword #wearethehomemakers #scripture #dailyintheword #titus2woman #healthylifestyle #mentalhealth #anxiety #anxietyawareness
Current backyard status: stunning in wonder ❄️ Current backyard status: stunning in wonder ❄️✨
A quiet night: the furnace is running, the tea is A quiet night: the furnace is running, the tea is hot, and the whisper of a page turning. ♨️☕️📖 // We are breaking from school this week, my plan is to read a lot, walk a lot, and rest a lot. How about you?

#mothersofinstagram #tea #winterreading #hygge
I fought every internal comment I could think of a I fought every internal comment I could think of and took my kiddos for a looooong walk today before dinner. ❄️✨ There’s just so much work required to raise children! I’m feeling like a tired lady. But sunshine & fresh air are good companions to keep around. 

We came home and I made “the best dinner ever”. Max specifically announced, “it’s so great you’re launching new meals to the world”. LOL— kids! 🤣👏🏻💓
How about a little Wednesday night introduction? 😘Social media sure has changed over the years and we don’t always SEE who we’re following or remember WHY we’re following certain accounts. 

So, hello! As you can gather, my name is Maggie ;) 

I started writing online (almost 13 years ago) to share the handmade products I was sewing. My shop was called Gussy Sews. ✂️👛I love the community that has grown from sewing & sharing online.

Let’s FFW to today: Zack and I live in Michigan and have four young children (2 boys & 2 girls). I slowly left the handmade industry and walked right into homemaking, homeschooling, and encouraging women through writing. 💕📝

Motherhood has been very hard on me. (And not just because of how close in age our four children are.) It’s been hard for me because I fought for years to accept that *it’s supposed to be hard*. 

I mean, how do you effectively teach another person to know and love the Lord? Bc that’s how I think of motherhood: a calling to nurture others by studying the One who nurtures me. So I gotta make the first move: study the Bible and seek Him first. As my friend Autumn reminded me, vulnerability births transformation. 

(I’ve had to be really vulnerable!)

So, yes motherhood has fully transformed me. But even more so, Christ has fully transformed me. My list of “all that He’s done for me” is off to a beautifully long start.

Something else I want you to know about me: I stalled for years before acknowledging I have anxiety and depression. It’s hard to talk about this because of course this isn’t forever “my hardship”, but rather because acknowledging this means to heal I have to work through some really difficult things. ✨

But my friend Jesus walks alongside me. He’s already done a mighty work in my heart, including helping me process my anger in healthier ways. I’ve also adopted a heart for sisterhood, mothering, and Titus 2 mentorship.

Sometimes our greatest losses are our greatest gains? That’s what I’m clinging to!

How about you? Tell me something about yourself so I can get to know you on a deeper heart level. 🖤🖤
How do you play in the winter? // We had a really How do you play in the winter? // We had a really great time visiting family in northern Michigan. On my blog I share a few ways we played outside, plus I describe a memorable childhood game ❄️☃️. Did you play it as a kiddo?
We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens in the morning (HGTV), playtime before lessons, and not enough quiet time after lunch. This made for a really, ummm, unenjoyable learning experience. 

But today! Today we reset the rhythm, and we have had a much happier home & time learning together. 👏🏻
Visit my stories for a quick message from ME — t Visit my stories for a quick message from ME — think outside the box in terms of how you view the definition of “motherhood” 💓😘 (also: look at my little friend, she’s sooooo snuggly)
It’s another cold, winter day. ❄️Today I hop It’s another cold, winter day. ❄️Today I hope to bundle up for another family nature walk, knowing the fresh air sweeps out any & all frustration, inviting inspiration inside. ✨That’s something we all need more of.
seriously LOL: I’ve found the secret to calming seriously LOL: I’ve found the secret to calming the Laundry Beast (as a family of 6). Who wants the inside scoop? ✔️🧺👏🏻
Another batch of “fun mail” is headed out tomo Another batch of “fun mail” is headed out tomorrow :) small celebrations like this are very life giving! PS. thinking of starting a zoom book club — I need more sisterhood in my life. 👏🏻📖
The house is quiet. The heat is on. The pages are The house is quiet. The heat is on. The pages are turning. The tea is calm. 🖤☕️🧺📖
Breakfast with Buzz! If only you could see his ful Breakfast with Buzz! If only you could see his full costume and laser blaster and of course the Buzz action figure he flys around 🌟💚💙💨someone has discovered a superhero crush! #joyinmotherhood #slowmornings #surprisedbymotherhood // Landon @ 2.5yo
Today on my blog I have a list of books I hope to Today on my blog I have a list of books I hope to read this year. Plus my reading goal for the year. And a few practicals ways I fit in reading as a mama of four young children & homeschooling them. Basically, all the good stuff ☺️💓📖 #maggiewhitleydotcom #readersofinstagram #read #readmorebooks
It was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the fu It was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the furniture as we took the tree down Tuesday midday. Def one of my fav things to do.🎄👋🏻 We made it through our first week back to school since mid-December! It was rough to begin but ended with high fives. ⭐️✏️This morning I zoomed with a mama friend and I’m impressed with the many topics we covered. Sisterhood is sooooo necessary! ☕️👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏼

Just a few cheery memories from my week! How about you?
Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activiti Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activities. I finished my last book moments before 2020 ended, which brought my started list to a close. Small joys add up to big joys ;)

What are you reading this year? Currently?

How many books are you planning to read? What’s your goal?

I’ll share what’s on my list for 2021 soon as I received some nice titles at Christmas. 📖✨🤍
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2021 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.