An important “next step” for Maggie.

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.

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”.