{Psalm 127:1}

[Minneapolis skyline]

PSALM 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

I love this verse and the message to seek out the LORD's will.


*Today I'm especially thankful for such a great support system: my husband, my family, my friends and blog readers. I've read over your comments on {managing stress} many, many, many times. Every time I find something new to be thankful for and put into practice.

{the d.}

There are times, and I admit more times than I'd like to admit, that I feel like the devil is trying to bring me down. Trying to take away my energy to sew. Trying to tell me my work isn't good enough or that no one wants to own a Gussy. Other times I don't hear from the devil at all, but from God.

Showing me to keep doing what I've been doing. Blessing me with 299 sales {yeow!}. Blessing me with the funds to attend Blissdom 2010 in a blink of the eye.

But then, when it's been too good for too long, it seems like I hear from the d. again. Yes. He's so pitiful I couldn't even type his name. That darn devil. Trying to sneak in and ruin my evening.

Telling me to be jealous of others achievements, and other ridiculous things that I don't even want to think about anymore now that I am thinking about them :)

Be gone.

Shoo away.

You aint welcome here.

I don't need to feel like that. I shouldn't let those thoughts linger. I need to be reading my Bible more and feeding myself with the Word. I need to let God into my Gussy head more so I can do what he wants me to do. Like cook, sew, and talk.

I feel a need to incorporate a good Bible verse into my Sweat Shop.


For now, this one is a good one to focus on:

Matthew 6:34

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

...each day has a ton of blessings that I need to be seeing :)

{much love from Gussy!}

What a busy/awesome/productive/encouraging/wonderful day I had yesterday!!!

I tell ya, I truly love, love, loooooove sewing Gussy. Did you hear/see that I made 20 items and listed them ALL last night?! And they are selling. Sooooo. Yeow!!!

I also believe I am now booked for January with my "3 custom orders/month" limit. If you've got something you'd like, write me and we'll shoot for on February. C'mon, you know you want something custom from Gussy :)

{Hello, I want something custom, and I AM Gussy. Hah!}





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So many things to share...

Please check out my FAQ post if you haven't already: feature articles, giveaways, sponsorship, custom orders and other Gussy info is all there. How convenient. Yes, I know, I wrote it. I hope I covered everything. If not, please let me know and I'll add it to the post.

Speaking of typing the word "sponsorship" -- I am accepting new sponsors for the 15th. If you'd like to become one, write me! Otherwise I'll accept them next for January 1st. Each sponsorship commitment comes with a feature article and optional giveaway {item or store credit}. I have five sponsorship feature posts set for Wednesday {tomorrow}, and four of them come with giveaways. Sounds like you should come back and check them out... :)

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I'm ready to announce the winners of a Christmas Gussy Giveaway.

Are you ready? Please sit down --

A big WOO-HOO to Miss Whitney Alexander -- you win the Shady Gus zipped pouch!

And a big WOO-HOO-HOO goes to KatieLeigh -- you win the Lovely Gus zipped pouch!


Whitney & Katie -- please check out on Etsy but do not proceed to the PayPal page. This will allow me to get your address. Thanks and CONGRATS! ♥

I want to thank everyone for making sure I have an email address to contact you. That makes my life 82% easier when it comes to hosting a giveaway. So, thank you!!!

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Lastly, because this is certainly the most important part of this post, I have to make sure everyone knows that all the credit of Gussy/this blog/my Etsy shop goes to God. If you've read my blog for any length of time you know I started sewing with zero knowledge of the trade. I wanted to learn and I feel God put it on my heart to learn. I was patient, took it one day at a time, and look where it has brought me?!

All of you wonderful people, reading my blog and encouraging me daily here on Earth to keep going with it. That means so much.

I took another half-day yesterday and came home to photograph over 100 images of my Gussy products. The day FLEW BY and suddenly it was dinner time. I love what I do -- I love Gussy and hold this part of my life very close to my heart. You need to know that.

If you want to do something wonderful with your life, if you want to enjoy what you do, pray about it and give it some time. Try and listen to what God's telling you His plans are. He loves you, and I believe His plans can only benefit you :)

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

We are so thankful here at the Whitley house {apartment} :)

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Now, let's all find something to be thankful for today. I'm thankful for you all. If you'd like, share in a comment :)


Much love from Gussy!!!

{Christmas tour}

Well, it's done. Hubbs and I have decorated our Minneapolis apartment. As opposed to our condo in Seattle or our house in.... {Just kidding. We only have one home and it's in Minneapolis.} And it is decorated and it is sooooooo cute. We played Christmas music all day last Saturday while putting up our decor. Zack and some great ideas, too. I can't deny that. Although I won't share which ideas were his. I can keep a secret :)

One thing I love about Christmas decorations is that some of them were given to me by my parents. Others are ones we've gathered since being married. Some were even bought this season, like the c-u-t-e fabric Christmas trees shown at the end of this post.

No, do not scroll down. I am talking. Hah! Just kidding :) Do whatever you want :)

Zack's grandma gave us this glass snowman dish. For safety, I've put red ornaments inside. In place of candy. {I wonder how long that will last...?}

My mom made the candle rigamaroo. The tan/gold stones and glass vase are left over from our wedding reception. She added a piece of holiday glam {the red berries} and a candle. Mama Gus and I love candles. Slowly I am helping Mom Whitley to love candles, too ;)




Oh looky here. More candles. Candles = warmth and comfort. I can't imagine my home without them. I know for a fact my mom instilled this tradition in me. My mom has a candle closet. {I'm sew jealous.}

I have recently upgraded from a candle drawer to a cabinet.
SO PROUD! :)




I used tips from The Nester {use what you have Christmas decor} and added some festive color to this red vase. I love how it looks! Our coconut tree and spider plant love it, too. {The image above was also inspired by Nester's post.}

I bought this vase while in college at Meijer for like $3. I'm so glad I did, too. While I didn't need it at the time I just knew I would need it at some point. Because I'm good like that.




THIS IS MY RED COUCH. My lovely, rich red couch. The inside of the couch is from the Helak family. The outside is Whitley. A perfect mix of both sides of our families :) Oh look, three Christmas trees made out of fabric. This pillow is da bomb and sort of matches the other set of three Christmas trees in this post...




I also got this idea for a pretty fabric bow from The Nester. While we've ever only talked on the phone and via email, she is my go-to design gal.



Yes, you read that right, I TALKED ON THE PHONE TO THE NESTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For 53 minutes.

Below is a nutcracker man from my Aunt Judy. It is from Germany. Yeow! I love his soft, white hair. It feels real, but better.

Speaking of Christmas, the FRIENDS FOREVER picture frame {also shown below} has me and my big bro sitting under the Christmas tree. I'm like 2.5; Matt is like 4.5. Years-old, duh.

We are wearing matching pajamas. When I have kids they are so {sew} wearing matching pajamas. Maybe even a red bow tie for the boy, too ;)





Valerie, look at my Nativity Set. You have this, too, right? My parent's gave this set to me as a bridal shower gift. I wanted it so badly. Every year for Christmas they've given me and Zack another piece/set. Do you have a set that your family continues to bless you with each year?



See this red plaid ribbon? It was used to make the big bow on our lamp base, as well for the garland here. I love the little silver and red jingle bells mixed in...



Fabric trees!!! I love them! If they weren't glued to a wooden base I'm sleep with them, they are that cute! Want a set of your own? You can find them at Target.

Merry Christmas!

PS. I added an RSS feed to my blog, so if you'd like to subscribe via Google Reader (or another program) you most certainly can :)

{I'm about to make even MORE items!}

Hello!!! If this isn't a sign from my main man upstairs, then I don't know what is!!! I listed 19 items over the weekend, and I've already had 8 items SELL! Whoa. This means I should probably make some more, yes?

So, while they won't be ready for a few days, I'm working on some super adorably-cute Gussy items in these two fabrics, both by Heather Bailey:

OK! I'll keep you updated!

{a lesson learned}

Two nights ago Zack and I were talking about how busy our lives are. I was explaining that it's not ideal for me to be this busy. I work two jobs, write a blog post daily, and love every second of the buying, selling, and advertising aspect of Gussy. Can I confess something? I'd really like a few little friends to help me with my day-to-day tasks. Little mice friends, like Cinderella had :)

{P.S. Remember Gus the mouse?!}

When we moved-in, almost two months ago now {gasp}, there was so much on our plates. We had to unpack, start a new job/find a new job, get GUSSY back up and running {I took about a month off from sewing}, and try to remember where we live now that we're in a new city. There are, after all, nearly 400,000 people that live in Minneapolis.

Yikes.

And we are just two of them!!!

Yikes!

Now that we've been here 7-ish weeks, there is {surprisingly} a lot on our plates still. I'm not as finicky as I was before about sewing daily, although there is no getting around doing some type of Gussy/sewing on a regular basis. I'm so excited to see what God has planned for us, specifically with sewing. Right now, given what He had planned for us to-date this year, I can't even imagine what else He has planned...

Can you imagine it? I mean, my goodness! Moving 13 hours away with a weekend's notice? Bahhh. However... with such short notice one good thing came from it: there was only one way to plan the move.

Whew.

Absolutely loved that part.

So like I mentioned above, I'd really like some little helper friends.

First on my to-do list:

Finish decorating the sewing room/office. If it wasn't constantly decorated in ruffles maybe I'd notice this sooner than today...? Just a possibility.

Second, buy another chair. With having only two kitchen chairs {and one is broken}, and two office chairs, we're still short a chair! No, no, there are only two of us. Yes, we do need five chairs in the apartment ;) Maybe I can find one at a second-hand shop?...

Third, hang Christmas lights in the sewing room. How inspiring would that be, to hang something that resembles a glimmer of Hope, when this sewing talent really has become a glimmer of Hope for me. I could most certainly work in an office that looked like this:

{photo found here}

Oh, goodness... I wonder if Zack remembers where we put the Christmas lights...

Another area of our apartment {I believe this is point four} I'd like to decorate is a section of wall that is bare. Naked. Empty. White. Without color. See, there are lots of ways to describe it :) We have a lot of pictures to hang, we are simply missing the right photo frames. I'm really loving the layout of these frames:

{photo found here}

Another topic Zack and I had two nights ago was how some times, just some times, when I stare at my work for too long, for too many days in a row, I start to find flaws with it. That tiny, itty-bitty snip of thread hanging, or the ruffle that went on it's merry way while I was trying to sew it straight, or whatever... I find flaws that don't really exist and I start to wonder if I'm doing the right thing, spending so much time and love on sewing my ruffles. I'd like to think I'm doing the right thing. I'd like God to think I'm doing the right thing.

Do you ever have days where you let the devil in just a crack, only to find that BAMMM! The door gets slammed in his face.

Whoopsy. Shouldn't have let him in.

I had a day like that yesterday.

Want to know who slammed the door?

It was God, and it was amazing. For the last two months I have averaged one sale per day, and to ratio to selling to an unknown buyer vs. a known buyer is growing. People, this is great stuff. This is rockin' news!!! This new normal is something to celebrate. {Well, I hope it stays my normal.} :)

Back to the door slamming. A couple nights ago I was having a wishy-washy moment of, Do I keep going? Do I slow down? Or _____? Then yesterday, out of the kind of humor God has been showing me lately, He gives me four Etsy sales. Four! Remember how I average one? Yesterday I had four!!!!!!!!!!!!!




See, there are four. A lesson learned: don't try to diss what God has planned out.

I have nothing else to write... Gussy is not questioning things any more...

"Never look back unless you plan on going that way." <--- Nope! :)

{q&a: my first sale}

Last week I asked you to write in with any questions you'd like me to answer. Oh me, oh my. Gussy sure has a lot to say now ;)

The first question is from L. She wrote, Okay, so what was the first Gussy you sold? What do you remember about it and how did you react?

The first item I sold was this zipped pouch, back in December 2008:




But technically {if you want to get technical}, this was the first {Gussy} I sold:




If it weren't for The Books {aka: my financial stats} I wouldn't have believed that I started using {Gussy} labels in March. March?! MARCH?! Unbelievable. I would have guessed a month prior to March. But, it has to be believable because The Books say so. So there.

But really, March?!

It's hard to differentiate between December {my first Etsy sale} and today. Every single day, and I am NOT even joking about this, I am a tad surprised that I'm the one behind the Gussy label. Adding "sewing" to my list of know-how's isn't something I would have anticipated.

Really, I wouldn't have.

To anyone reading this that isn't sure whether they should learn something new, my advice to you: Do it! Do it today! You are wasting time with your hesitation. By the way, Jacky, have you started reading those books?! :)

I'm convinced one night, while I was sleeping, an Angel sent from God tapped my hands with her wand and bam! I learned how to sew. I can't think of a better way to explain it. Ever since that first evening at the kitchen table I wanted to learn more. I suddenly had the desire to sew, so I checked-out two dozen books from the library {just ask the Ferndale Public Library}, I spent hours online watching tutorial videos, and I bought an abundance of Quarter Flats {fabric}. I was using my parents sewing machine at the time. I had borrowed their case of extra thread and machine attachments. What did I have to lose but a little time and money?!

At that point we were living in Detroit and Zack was working a lot. I needed something to fill my evening hours. I remember feeling a huge sense of accomplishment after making a few items. Maybe I felt something more like shock, but that's not the point here ;)

Zack was incredibly supportive. His positive response to my interest in sewing is probably what encouraged me to make just one more item. And just one more, and one more, and...

I continued to sew and made a few sales selling on Etsy. Then January came. Zack lost his job. Then February came. I lost my job. Do I need to mention we were married 8 months at this point?! I found myself sitting at home as the result of an unbelievable amount of unsuccessful attempts to find a job. No one was hiring in the Detroit area. No one wanted to see you if you came in. If you wanted to check on your application you were required to obtain an application number as if you were just that: a number.

The nearly seven months I {Zack, too} was unemployed was probably the worst months of my life. Talk about feeling abandoned, unimportant, helpless, useless, etc. to the world of employment. Every door that I attempted to open was slammed in my face. With all the free time I suddenly had I was able to sew like a mad woman.

. He was able to pick up a temporary landscaping job, but again, that door closed too soon. One day he came home and I had carefully placed all the things I had made. Zack nicknamed our office The Sweat Shop as the result of that super successful sewing day. I had displayed everything I made on his desk, on my desk, on the couch in the living room, and on his dresser.

The Sweat Shop, run by Gussy :)

Those days were so fun. Aside from the negative emotional feelings felt, it was a great experience to test my ability at something I was so new at. I was able to prove to myself I could run this business on my own. I track my expenses and sales, work hard to find creative advertising opportunities, purchase, cut/iron/sew, and smile {almost} the entire time I'm doing all of it. You want to see the sparkle in my eye? Show me my sewing room.

Back in January, when Zack lost his first job, we were four months into the one-year lease we had signed. We were renting a house. How were we supposed to follow through with our lease commitment when our employers couldn't follow through with us?! The only way to get through it was to take advantage of the opportunities presented to us, stay united as a marital team, and of course: present all our worries to God. Let go and let God, they say.

It worked.

In August I was offered a job in Minneapolis. We accepted it, moved away from our home state, and started this new opportunity. I am hopeful this was the right decision. You can read about the exciting news here and here.

Whew.
Have you noticed Gussy has a lot to say?

Back to L's original question: Okay, so what was the first Gussy you sold? What do you remember about it and how did you react?

I'm pretty sure I have part A down, now for part B...

I don't remember the details on how I reacted, but I'm sure it is no different from how I react today: I immediately tell Zack about the sale, I for sure keep my mom and MIL {mother-in-law} updated on how many sales I'm at, and I go to sleep dreaming of new ideas, the fabrics I've recently purchased, and the delightful uncertainty that the Gussy brand holds for the future.

Last night I took advantage of an opportunity to sew. Zack was working late because an Editor is in from L.A., so I was home alone. I headed straight to the sewing room and got to work.

See?

To clarify, that's 7 sunglasses/accessory cases, 2 zipped pouches, and 9 wallets, all with the Signature Gussy ruffle. Bam! :)




I'm just taking this day-by-day.




{And really praying this isn't all a dream!}



In the meantime, I'm sewing up all sorts of pretties. I've got 18 new items prepped. All in one night. All in just a few hours time. All Gussy :) The solid pieces of fabric you see on top are soon-to-be-ruffles. Oh me, oh my. Love it! Stay tuned... they'll become a Gussy item really soon! :)

Have a great day!

{snow + sew + sale}

I woke up Saturday morning to the sound of scraping.
I took me a minute to figure out what it was. Ya know, once I was fully awake and all.

Do you want to know what I heard?

Are you sure? Really, really sure?

A woman was scraping ice and snow off her car.

Yes friends, Saturday morning greeted all of us in The Frozen Tundra with snow. God sure has a silly sense of humor, doesn't He? :)

It's not even the middle of October and already snow has fallen. My goodness, they weren't lying when they said, I hear it's cold there! ;) I suppose if I take a few minutes to think about it it's not so crazy. It has been super cold here these past few days. And by cold I mean in the thirties. I know some of you live in Texas and can't bear the sixty-degree weather. And, Kim in Florida, 90 degrees... really?!

Just spare me the numbers, OK?

Sigh.

To add to the craziness of the recent snow falling, our apartment is hot like an oven and we usually sleep with the window open a few inches. Yes, the window was open the night it snowed. Have I mentioned our apartment is hot?!

{Unbelievable about the snow, yet so true!}

It really was perfect timing, however, because on that fine, snowy Saturday my mittens arrived in the mail.




I love them dearly.
They are so adorable that I want to put them in a glass box and stare at them all day long. Instead, I'll wear them.
{To order a pair for yourself click here.}

Zack and I went out Saturday evening and, of course, I wore them. And I smiled the entire time I wore them, too. Ha ha! Me, my mittens, and the Hubbster. We explored the city of Minneapolis on a quick dinner trip to Chipotle.

***

Back up a bit to earlier in that day.
I really had a great Saturday. It was soooo relaxing. I can't remember the last time I sat down, in our new apartment, and thought, What should I do this fine Saturday?
After last week, working so hard during the day and then coming home to sew for a few hours every night, I finally took a break.
I calculated I worked 65 hours last week. Eeekk!

Can I be honest?
I even feel a little guilty about taking some time off from sewing.

How horrible is that?!
I totally needed the little break; Zack and I needed the little break.
Last week we went to Zack's work to watch a sporting event, aka: party!!! Then on Tuesday I baked 4 dozen cookies for my work. We also had time to watch two movies.

It was pure bliss to enjoy life a bit more.

One night last week we decided to move my iMac into the living room because I was spending all my supposed-t0-be-free time in the office, sewing and answering emails.

It was horrible. I felt like not only was I neglecting my amazing, sassy red couch, but I was missing out on enjoying my home with my husband. I felt like a stranger in my own home. Blah.

Taking a break allowed me to take a full breath of air. It took away a lot of the stress of getting so much done. I felt like I had this never-ending to-do list of sewing, when really, when I think back, it's not something I want to be stressed about. About a year ago, while I was sleeping, an Angel tapped me with her wand and gave me the desire to sew.

About two months ago God blessed me with an honest-to-God amazing job in a really sweet city. I no longer need to be ball-and-chained over the income that Etsy provides because it is taken care of.

I know "it" has always been taken care of, but this way is somehow easier to wrap my hands around. The concept of seeing the way it's taken care of, instead of going to sleep, month after month with a little bit of uncertainty... No one wants uncertainty in their life. Please know I wholeheartedly believe in God and never did I doubt His ability to provide, or my faith in the Faith...

It's hard to explain; losing something {like your job} that has so much "control" over earthly things really knocks the wind out of your sail.

{I almost wrote knocks the wind out of your lungs but decided to think hard and remember the right phrase. But sometimes I like to make up my own phrases: When worse comes to shove, ha ha.}

Over the summer that wasn't something I could say... admit that our bills were taken care of.

But today I can and I'm going to rejoice over it! And you know what, just to add to the awesomeness of how our lives have turned for the better, my Etsy sales have since increased, they are consistent, and it's even more delightful to sew!

I'm a happy Gus.

Encourage yourself to find the positive in your life and it will be easier to see the positive.

***

A few things before I stop having so much to say ;)

1. If you haven't entered the Gussy Giveaway, please enter now. It's already surpassed the last time I offered this type of giveaway {where the number of comments left equals the percent-off won.}

2. There is FREE SHIPPING on all items in my Etsy shop. Everyone loves a little sans shipping, right? Receive anywhere from $2 - $6 in savings.

3. It's survey time. Again, if you haven't already, please two minutes to answer ten questions about my Gussy products. It would make my day to hear your anonymous comments :)

It's like a quiz, but way more fun.

***

OK, just one more {picture}:




HAPPY MONDAY ♥

{Hello, Minneapolis, I'm GUSSY!}

I posted this video a few months back. I'm here to share it again. The composition is so truly beautiful, it gives Gussy goosebumps. I love to listen to it.





I hope your day, your entire day, is so very relaxing and where ever you are you are able to take a few minutes to breathe in and breathe out. Meditate and reflect on your life. I know for some of you, you aren't able to think much past today. Hello, that is my life. Only God knows the plans He carries for me and Zack. We are taking strong efforts to move to Minneapolis soon.

Whoa.

It is hard to write that.

I joked with Zack today that we could move to Grand Rapids, MN, and then I could say I lived in Grand Rapids, MI and Grand Rapids, MN. I tried to find a little humor in it. Potentially moving that far is going to be difficult. I need to remember it's just an adventure. An adventure God already has planned for us.

We have tried, oh-so desperately, to stay in Michigan. We are open to staying if we can find fabulous jobs.

Back to the song.

Isn't it lovely?

It makes me feel so relaxed to listen to it. I would like more relaxing in my life and less stressing, thankyouverymuch! ;)

So what is new with you all? I know I have new readers. Most of you haven't commented yet, and I invite you to introduce yourself to me. Comments or e-mails are always welcome.

Maybe you are a little intimated to comment... feeling a little shy... feeling like I should go first?

OK.


Hello, my name is Gussy. I'm young {a baby, actually! Thanks Nester ;) }, and I'm a newlywed. I love my family dearly. I like to talk, duhhhhh, and I like to sew. Make that love to sew. I started an Etsy shop in November and by February I was sewing full-time as my previous full-time job disintegrated right before my eyes. Since February I've been relying very heavily on Etsy to keep things moving forward. It was pretty scary. Then, in July, I hit 100 sales. HOORAY!




Rewind: I have an older brother, two adorable nephews, and a set of parents that have been married for over 30 years.

Fast-forward: I met my husband just over 5 years ago at Central Michigan University. We were both freshmen and were head-over-heels in love. College sweethearts, they say. We dated for 2 years, were engaged for 2 years, and we married June 7th, 2008.



Now, Zack and I are preparing to move to Minneapolis. Do you think Minne is ready for Gussy? Hmmm... I sure hope so...

Alright. That's my story, now tell me yours ;)


Two things before I stop typing:

1. EverythingEtsy.com -- be sure to enter in the GUSSY giveaway!

2. Don't forget to take advantage of free shipping. Everyone that commented on my last giveaway is eligible. Offer is good through Thursday, August 6.

{keep calm, but get to work, Gus!}

Since offering giveaway #2, I have felt a heightened, overwhelming sense of something wonderful. I can't place my hands {or heart} on any one specific word that I am feeling, but it is so amazing. The responses to the contest and the e-mails I've received is a blessing. I feel this is exactly what I have needed with life -- and with the business side of life, too. Not much has been certain since the New Year, but let me tell you this: God provides. He's provided this new found sewing talent and the past month has been intense.




Intense like I continue to drop my jaw when I read my e-mail. I say "wow" so many times a day Zack has stopped asking what I'm wow-ing.




Intense like I feel like I'm in a dream and I hardly recognize this chapter in my life.

{Gussy sews?! What?! And I thought Gussy only talked... ;) }




Intense like a marvelous multi-tasking sistah that can't seem to move fast enough lately... I spend a lot of time doing a lot of things: researching places/blogs to advertise The Gus; how I can improve my shop sales; how I can improve Gussy; how I can meet new people.

It appears life is catching up with me.

Woo-hooooooooo :)




Aside from the Gussy label exploding, I feel like I have a job again. That in itself is gigantic blessing. I'm usually known to investigate every situation, get the details out on the table, that type of thing. But with sewing I feel like there isn't time to stop and ask, WHY ME, LORD? Or any other phrase I like to voice. I just have to get myself to The Sweat Shop {aka: my sewing room} with a big mug of coffee each day and keep at it.



Because this is my life right now.




FYI: Apart from the giveaway, I am working on a few proposals. They are all sassy, spectacular, and I'll be sure to share once they happen :) But in the meantime, here is a small sample:

PS. The giveaway was at 39%-off last I checked... how exciting is that?!?! :)

{weekend recap + sewing + you'll have to read this to know the rest!}

What a great, great weekend. Zackary and I spent it at our home and definitely spent a lot of time relaxing. Friday night, his aunt called and we talked for over an hour.

Oh, Gussy ;)

Saturday, I did some housework, met a girlfriend for coffee and we chatted for over 3 hours! Yeah :) Afterwords I did some sewing. Then Zack grilled chicken for dinner and later we went to celebrate a cousin's birthday. We had brownies and ice-cream. MMmmmmmmm.

That brings me to Sunday. I didn't set the alarm clock and we woke up well into the middle of church.

:(

That was a little sad because we like where we've been going and only go like once a month. We're out of town a lot... Once we got going yesterday we went to a restaurant called Toast. Zack gave me a gift card to Toast for my birthday. They are open for breakfast and lunch; I enjoyed a chicken salad panini, Zack ordered something with potato cakes and eggs, plus toast.

I did some more sewing, Zack vacuumed my car and cleaned up the garage. I cleaned the inside of the car.

I know, I know, such an exciting life! :) Guess that is what happens when you are home for the first and only weekend of the month: there's cleaning to be done.

Yesterday evening Zack actually asked me if he could schedule in a back rub with me. Since you like to be prepared and then that way maybe you'll put a good amount of time into it, he told me. Ohhhh, so funny, so funny! I should check with him to see what day works best.

We have some good news to share: Zack is working this week with his uncle. We've been waiting and waiting for work -- and it's finally here. Although it isn't permanent by any means -- only for 2 weeks -- it is something! We made a list tonight of the top 10 cities by economic to live in and I plan on spending a lot of time applying for jobs in those cities. It is beyond my understanding where we are supposed to be. I've mentioned this before, and while I haven't shed much light on the situation before, it is a serious situation. We have until the end of August to be in a new home.

No plans on where that home is.

Not sure how we'll have any income by then.

But, not too worried about it. God has a plan and it just hasn't been revealed to us yet. I'm hoping one day soon He fills us in but until then I'm just excited to not be worried over the uncertainty.

There is a large adventure planned for us. We could stay in the same town, move to another town in Michigan, or move to another state. Any state, really. Zack has experience with graphic design and video editing; I have experience with writing, editing, and proofreading. If anyone knows of a thriving company looking for talent in the aforementioned areas, please let me know. We both graduated from Central Michigan University and can move for a promising job.

In fact, we're moving somewhere. Just not sure where yet {our lease is up the end of August}.

I've been keeping busy sewing and am hoping it will continue to provide supplemental income. If you have a friend or family member that needs a gift idea, please send them to GUSSY! If you own a small gift store and are looking for new merchandise, contact me! We can talk wholesale! :) Or, if you have a Facebook or Twitter account, feel free to mention GUSSY and my Etsy shop! I would be so appreciative of your support: www.maggiewhitley.etsy.com.

Like I've mentioned before, I need three more sales on Etsy before I can do another giveaway. I'm looking for a reason to celebrate and making it to 100 sales seems like a fun reason! I'm at 97... spread the word to your friends and then we can celebrate success GUSSY style. I've been given a few really neat ideas for a giveaway, I'm sure they'll be well received.

Since Zack is working outside the house this week, he was sure to mention to me how productive I'll be all day today with him gone. No one to sing to me, beat box to me, whistle, run into in our tiny home :) -- that sort of thing. One thing is for certain: it will be weird!

For the last five months, off and on, we've spent most of our days together at home. Losing a job -- one, two, and finally three times -- means you finally just sit back and think, God, where am I to be? How am I supposed to provide for my family? Show me Your will. So with Zack gone tomorrow it will be a new "normal" for us. We've really been praying hard for a new normal to come our way. It can be a lonely world being an unemployed citizen. Lonely, sad and feeling a little helpless. Or a lot helpless some days. Right now we have steady income. But... that is going to end soon. And unfortunately what needs to go out monthly will still need to go out. I know when I started sewing in November, then heavily sewing in February when I lost my job, I never thought I'd be where I am today. Never, ever, ever. I knew nothing about sewing!

See, look at this zipped pouch. This was one of the first things I made:




And here is a picture of something I made over the weekend:



Whoa, Gus.

Thanks for getting some color in your life ;)

Also, please stop talking to yourself. Thanks.

Looking back, I can see my growth. It is humbling and amazing, and a little embarrassing! But whatever. I've made progress, that is the point.

Gussy isn't someone to sit back and not take action, so I learned how to sew a zipper in by watching tutorials online, without a zipper foot -- booyah! ;) I learned of a local fabric store that sells the most amazing and unique buttons, and I got to work. Zack nicknamed the sewing room The Sweat Shop, listened wholeheartedly when I asked for his opinion, and spent more time than I ever dreamed of congratulating me and telling me positive things about my sewing talent.

I found someone to sew GUSSY labels for me.

I started keeping track of my expenses. I knew what was going out and what was coming in.

I made connections; met people online and have been blessed for all the GUSSY referrals they've passed out.

I guess what I'm trying to say that while I wasn't sure what tomorrow would bring I knew I had a sewing machine with a drawer of fabric and sass, and I was going to put it to work. I look for jobs by day, sew by night.

Actually, I still don't know what tomorrow will bring, but it isn't here yet so I'm not thinking to far long. Sure, there have been days when all I've done was cry. Not having a job and not being able to find a job that will pay the bills is really scary. And, I'm only 24. I have my whole life ahead of me, yet I'm experiencing this now? Seems silly.

But...

Better now than later on I suppose. Better now while our family count stops at 2 instead of 6. Right?

No: Better now because that's God's plan.

Alright, I feel a bit better :) Thank you for reading and sharing in life with me and Zack. We'll make it through, and it definitely helps that we're not alone :)




And stay tuned... I've got Sweat Shop pictures to show you! But here is a sneak peak in the meantime :)

{I-75 and Nine Mile overpass explosion}

The last month has been very, very unusual. It started the end of June when our neighbor, Betty, passed away in her sleep. She was widowed and lived an incredibly active life. Her surrounding neighbors were astounded by her death.

Jump ahead a few weeks: a car and Amtrak train collide. The crash was a direct result from a 19-year-old male driver trying to skip around the train track gates. He had four passengers; everyone died. Such a sad, sad story. You can read about it here.

Then, on Wednesday morning, an alleged gas leak caused a home to explode.

Then...

Then the worst of them all.

A tanker truck exploded on Interstate 75 and Nine Mile Road, less than a mile from my home.





I remember sitting at my iMac, waiting for Zack to get home. He was out-of-town and traveling I-75. The lights were flickering. Then I heard a helicopter flying overhead. It sounded awfully loud. I could hear the neighbors gathering outside, in front of my house and the neighbors. Curious, I walked outside and asked Doug what was going on. He told me a fuel tanker had exploded at I-75 and Nine Mile.




Zack was driving I-75.

{all above photos courtesy www.detnews.com}

Zack wasn't home.

I could barely run inside fast enough to call him. Praise God he was safe and able to get off the interstate before he neared the scene.

My heart was pounding so fast and my legs were rubber. Never again do I want to experience that kind of fear. As I talked with Zack about what was happening the helicopters grew nearer. I went outside again and saw the smoke billowing in the air. At first it was white as snow, very dense. Then I looked to the East and it was black. Soon enough the entire area was black as death. It was intense. No one knew what was going on. I feared the worst: we were experiencing some type of attack.

Another type of fear I felt was hopelessness.

I ran over to my neighbor's house to watch the news with her. With all the uncertainty, I didn't want to be alone.

I know I mainly speak of my Etsy shop, but Gussy is a Christian. No doubt about that. I should probably speak of my faith more often, but I want my actions to show that I am a child of God more than my mouth.

After hearing a tanker exploded I immediately prayed. At that moment only God knew what was really going on. Approximately 13,000 gallons of fuel were burning -- and it couldn't be controlled. It was hard to tell what was underneath the flames, which burned nearly 200 feet in the air.

The explosion happened around 8 p.m. Wednesday night. The scene burned until approximately Midnight.

Thankfully -- and praise God -- no one was seriously injured or killed.

What a miracle.

Thank you, God, for keeping people safe.

The local news station reported that fire and police officers were exhausted from the morning's house explosion. Now they were on duty again, but working on the biggest fire in the city's history.

MDOT spokesman Rob Morosi said it perfectly: "We need to keep everything in perspective. You can always replace a road. You can't replace a life."

Authorities say a 27-year-old Clawson man lost control of his vehicle as he approached the "Nine Mile Curve" at too-fast speeds. His car collided with a gasoline tanker. The tanker then jackknifed and broke, causing the explosion.

Some how a Meijer semi-truck carrying produce was involved in the crash. All three drivers escaped and ran for their lives.

Praise God.

The explosion and intense heat caused the Nine Mile Road overpass to collapse. Again, praise God no one was driving or walking on the overpass.

An worker at the corner Exxon gas station heard the explosion and immediately shut down the pumps and closed the station. The worker said the the flames extended higher than the eight-story Days Inn, located just east of the expressway.

It is estimated it will take four months to rebuild the overpass.

{the following photos courtesy Zack & Maggie Whitley}

The right lane is I-75 southbound. The northbound overpass is non-existent due to the explosion:

Street corner of S. Chrysler and Nine Mile, looking northeast:

On S. Chrysler, looking south at Nine Mile:

On S. Chrysler, looking south at Nine Mile. I-75 southbound is shown:

You can see the Day's Inn hotel to the left. Flames were said to be over 200 feet, nearing the height of the hotel:

The northbound overpass at Nine Mile -- completely burned through:

A close-up of the melted overpass. You can see the guard rail and security fence, once atop the overpass, completely melted and hanging near the orange construction vehicle:

Workers clean up the southbound side of the Nine Mile overpass:

Drilling concrete on the southbound overpass:

The demolished overpass/road:

Heading north on I-75, you can see the remains of the Meijer semi-truck:

{the following video courtesy www.detnews.com}

Thank you LORD for keeping everyone safe.