{I heart dates with Zack}

Zack and I had an amazing day yesterday. We left the apartment around 1 pm and came home close to nearly 8 pm! Yeow. I don't remember the last time I spent a Saturday away from my sewing machine. And, there were only like 3 times I thought about sewing.

Taking the day off from work was so needed! We have hardly spent an entire day together since, well, for sure since Blissdom (early February!). We went to lunch at Buca di Beppo {score! we had a coupon}, shopped the mall with some gift cards -- I finally picked up a copy of Julie & Julia {so excited to read this}.



See that arm? That is Zack, trying to give me bunny ears. Sigh... ;) And no, we are not wearing matching-colored shirts. No way.

Zack twisted my arm a half-turn and we ended up at a sporting goods store. He browsed nearly every department {and I played around in nearly every department...} and then we ended up in the camping section. I saw all sorts of silly things, like portable toilets that look like laundry hampers and yucky dry camping food {scrambled eggs and bacon? ewww}. I told him we could go camping but I will be taking a shower. I'll let you know if we go/if I shower, hah!

And you know where we headed next: Target! Needed to snag a few essentials. We checked-out, loaded the car, then realized we missed a huge essential: food! So back inside we went. Hah!

I know Zack didn't like this as much as I did, but we were able to put away some wintery decorations. Then I organized my candle cabinet. And I did some spring cleaning in my office. And this is probably the most boring Gussy update...?

But don't lose all hope for me! Today I'll be spending a few hours sewing. I've got a few new baby blankets to photograph + list, too. I'm working on stocking a recently-shown Gussy item. I hear Apple is coming out with a new product soon. Hmm... Anyone buying one?

I can't believe today is Sunday. My days feel all mixed-up recently. However... The forecast shows blue skies through Thursday. This girl is HAPPY!

Yesterday was just so amazing. I love feeling like I felt when Zack and I first met. I'm so blessed that we're so in love. We talked about where to go for our second anniversary today and it just gives me butterflies thinking about it. We know love is a choice -- but it's also a commitment we made June 2008. I hope there are people in life that give you butterflies :]

So, what are you doing today?
{woo hoo! there's still a day left of the weekend!}

{our little sunshiny date}

Sunday morning, Zack and I took a little walk to the bakery. It was so gorgeous outside -- so bright and sunny -- a prefect morning date :)

{It was so bright inside I didn't even realize my sunglasses were still on...}

This little date reminded me of when we were in college, walking the campus together as boyfriend + girlfriend. Man, that was a long time ago! Hah!

This spring marks our 6th year together ♥

Speaking of "years" -- I can NOT believe this June is our second wedding anniversary.
Yeow!



You should have seen the other side of this bakery. Not only did they have deee-licous looking cupcakes and cheesecakes, but they had fresh muffins, donuts, scones -- tasty :)

I love fun dates like this!

I knew I'd spend most of the day sewing or blogging, so it was especially important to have some Zack & Maggie time in.

Like last night. I knew I was tired. I knew I needed a break. I knew there was work to do.
But I knew I needed to be on the couch and not in The Sweat Shop.

We have to know our limits, right?

***

My nephew Collin has been saying the darnedest things to my mom.
Last night he told her his back "was all itchy."

She said, "I wonder why...?"

"Grandma, it's called Leprosy."


Duh, Grandma ;)

***

Have you entered in Nester's Giveaway Day?

Enter for a chance to win $50 Gussy shop credit -- or something else from the many wonderful featured shops!

{Mack & Zaggie}

You know what is ridiculous?

A lot of people call us Mack & Zaggie.

Instead of Zack & Maggie.

Why?

I have no clue. But it happens so often and so accidental that I just know it's accidental. Because it happens accidentally. So often. Oh, my word.

Last weekend Zack and I were out for the day. The sun was shining and it was just beautiful here in Minneapolis. The sunlight {and this photo app} made my hair look super red.

Mom, it's really not this red. Promise :)

I could tell Mack, I mean Zack, was ready to get back home because he started playing with my headband. Hah! He cracks me up. He's definitely my fun better half :)

xo, Z!

------------------

PS. A few nights ago Zack said, LOOK AT ME! I have a mohawk!!!

Yes, dear. Yes, you do. I shaved it for you and so I gave you that mohawk. In fact, I look at it 100x more often than you do.

OK, so that is what I said quietly to myself.

Really I said, I know and it rocks! ;)

{Yes, I winked at him.}

See?

Being married is fun :)

{the truth}

Hubby likes to take photos of me in the morning while we're waiting at the bus stop together.
The truth? Some times I get sassy.

That's right, we ride the bus together.
Well, some days we do :)

You see, we work across the street from each other.
Yup, that was a God thing.

Some times he misses me and he calls me.

Babe, meet me at the window?

We both walk over to where we can see each other, in different buildings, side-by-side.
We wave.

Then I stick my tongue out at him.

Then we go back to our desks until it's go-home time :)


We are having lots of fun together ♥

What types of silly things do you and your significant other do together?

{lots o' photos}

Zack and I live such adventurous lives. One minute we're in Minneapolis, the next we're in Chicago, then in South Bend, Indiana. Despite the sadness of this past weekend's events {hooray for heaven, though!}, we had a good time. It was great to see my family, especially since we weren't able to see them over Christmas.

We had fun sharing head phones, sleeping in a Princess bedroom {thanks cousin Hannah!}, and eating lots of yummy food. Also, I can't forget about watching Napoleon Dynamite with my family and laughing with my cousins as they play in the snow {some of my cousins are from Florida and Georgia}.

My cousin Hannah and me

We arrived back home after a few days of being away and the big city was absolutely gorgeous! It welcomed us home with blue sky and bright sunlight.

These pics were taken while on the Light Rail {aka: train}...

Anyways, since we were unexpectedly gone for Valentine's Day, Zack re-scheduled our V-day dinner reservations for Tuesday night. We went to Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. AMAZING!!! AMAZING!!! I'm not going to type all that we ate... hah! Everything was super delish though :)

Just look at how cute this place is:

I know this is a little "late", but what did you do for Valentine's Day? ♥ ♥ ♥

{yum-o}

mmmmm.
Peanut Butter Pie.
happy birthday, Zacky :)

{happy birthday, Zack!!!}

Today is hubby's birthday -- his 25th birthday!!! :)

This year is our sixth year together, and I can hardly believe it.
I woke up and whispered, "it's your birthday" into his ear.

I had to be the first to say it, because for the rest of the day he'll be saying it to me!

I cooked him a yummy breakfast.
He opened some of his presents this morning.

I got him this cooooool mug that has CHAMPION stamped on it.
So cool. He loves it.
I think it looks very tough next to my mug.

Happy, happy birthday Zackary.
xoxoxoxoxoxo.
♥

{a winner + Love Stories}

$25 Gussy shop credit goes to Jessica @ The Jenkins Family -- yeow for Jessica :) I'll be emailing you soon so you can redeem your credit.


Gosh, I am just so thankful for all the comments left -- 118 to be exact. That is a nice pat on the back :) Thanks again!!!

If you didn't see my last post, every zipped pouch in my shop is on sale at 15%-off. The current price is the sale price {which means no PayPal refunds, you get the discount right away}!

--------

I'm not quite sure what is going on, but I need to vent. About Zack. And how outrageous he is :)

Sunday night he wanted to shave his head. Fine. Then he decided he wanted to have a little mohawk, from his forehead to the nap of his neck. Fine, again.

Then yesterday on the bus we were sitting together and next thing I know his hand is up in my armpit {don't worry I was wearing a coat}.

What the helllllllo?!

I was like, What are you doing? Stop, now.

Yes, I said it just like that.


{It's OK, you can laugh...}


Then he started balling/squashing my fabric knots on my messenger bag.

Again, Stop, now.

Last night he was eating popcorn with his mouth wide open. For those of you that know Zack IRL {in real life} you know he has a... large mouth. Handsome, but large :)

I LOVE YOU, ZACK!!! <3

Anyways. I'm not sure if all the time we spend together is finally catching up with me or what...? Or if God is trying to be like 20% funny {because I think He's being more like 70% funny...}

Some times men are weird. Like, why does he have to PLOP down on the bed? Why can't he swiftly set himself on the bed?

But then again, why does he empty the dishwasher for me after a night of coffee with a friend? Why does he call me Miniature Princess? Why does he love me the right way?

Because that's just Zack :)

I guess as long as he stays away from my armpits we'll be OK ♥



Valentine's Day is soon approaching... what kind of Love Stories do you have to share?


xo!

Cozy on the couch tonight; That will be us :)

{nylons vs. tights}

A few weeks ago Zack and I were at a party together. There were so many cute girls wearing cute ruffly dresses with cute tights on. {And cute boots.} I loved their outfits. I told Zack I wanted a pair of cute tights, too.



Before I knew it we were talking about nylons and tights. At a work party. Me and him. He said something like, Then what are nylons?



I know, I know, I should be thankful he doesn't know, right? ;)



I tried my very best to explain what nylons are. Ummm, sheer pantyhose? They are usually worn by older women? Ummm. Pantyhose is another word for nylons. Well, nylons are thin. Kind of sheer. Tights have texture to them, and they are usually thicker. Kind of like a sock would be textured and thick.



Then Zack said, OH! So tights are like socks, except they go up to your waist?!



Yes, darling, that is the perfect explanation.



I love my hubbs :)


PS. {9 days...} + a one-word hint: many

{a tale of five pictures}

Zack and I got married one year and 4 months ago. I have cherished my wedding bouquet ever since because it was the most beautiful bouquet I ever laid eyes on. I remember my mom, on the day of our wedding, saying, Honey, would you like to see your bouquet?

Gosh, it was gorgeous. White flowers, tons of white flowers, with a dash of orange. We had a very colorful wedding: orange, pink and green. Zack loves orange. I was so proud to carry an orange-speckled bouquet as I walked down the aisle with my dad.

As for me, I love the color green. It is my favorite! To even things out we added the most feminine color: pink. Not a blush pink, not fuchsia, but a solid, fun shade of pink.

To this day I still love our wedding colors. Through all our moves {this is our third city as a married unit}, I have babied my wedding bouquet. It's always sat on our dresser, the the vase of salt that represented our unity "candle" during the ceremony.

***

Zack and I are very different. He's tall, I'm short. He is patient, I can be persistent. He is loud, bursting with song in the morning, I am quiet. {I know, what a shock!}

But despite all our differences, we are so thankful for them. There have been countless times when we've told each other "thank you for being exactly who you are."

We celebrate our differences daily, because it's those differences that make us a strong and happy team.

***

Zack and I dated for four years by the time we got married. Four years of memories; three of them college memories.

My maid-of-honor made this frame for us. It's filled with quotes, bible verses and stories from our dating years. It is a highly-cherished gift. I didn't know it would be possible to contain four years of memories, but I'm pretty sure she did just that :)

***

The Nester recently talked about grouping items around the home to easily decorate an area.

Plus, you can easily re-arrange that area later. {And if you know anything about it it's that I love to rearrange. Right Mama Gus?}

Hello, I know how to group!!!

Look at this: the items on the leather ottoman, the pillows on the couch {there's also a turquoise pillow back there!}, the college textbooks under the lamp. {Uhh... didn't realize my lamp lifter-upper would be a $360 item?! Yikes.}

The point is I know how to group! Ten points for Gussy, the sewing {and grouping} girl :)


***


Hello, three windows.

Hello three windows in our apartment that are the only three windows in our Minneapolis apartment.

Sigh.

Hello patience that has forced me to be creatively-patient with photographing.

Hello :)


***

RUFFLES.soft.COLORFUL.fluffy.RUFFLES.

{coming soon}

{relaxing at the ocean}

I am THE WORST at making myself take a break and relax.
Two days ago I said I was going to do that, and what did I do that night? I made a sausage & potato skillet {with onions, bacon, spinach and a yummy sauce!}, apple crisp, and then 4 dozen chocolate chip + butterscotch cookies for a work party yesterday.

Umm, yeah.

I have nothing to say.
I think I'm in trouble.

Actually, I know I'm in trouble because Zack told me recently,

It's OK if you want to buy some things to make fast dinners, like something that takes 30 minutes? Because you spending an hour or more in the kitchen every night isn't working. You need to rest.

HOWEVER! In my defense ;) I love to cook and launder our clothes. Don't laugh. LOL... stop. I really do like to do laundry because it smells so goooooood! I also just really love and enjoy being a wife and having someone to take care of.

I was chatting on the phone last night with my MOH {maid of honor}, Jessica, and she told me it's really great that after being married for one year and four months {woot, woot!!!} I still cook elaborate meals. That I haven't let that part die off.

Amen, sister. Amen.

Anyways :)

I think I need a break. Just a little one, but a break nonetheless. So, last night I made a quick dinner {spinach tortellini with pesto and chicken} and chatted on the phone with my MOH before watching a movie with hubbs.

No sewing.

{so sad!}

None at all.

While I relaxed I dreamt of this lovely place:

{photo credit}

Exhale.

Aren't they great?!

When I return from my {fake} mini-vacation I'll sew up two custom orders {zipped pouch + laptop bag}. Don't worry, I'll share pics! :)


***


To conclude, four random facts:

4. we have a coconut plant in our apartment

3. I order our groceries online and have them delivered. To our door. Yessss :)

2. I never brush my hair; I comb after conditioning!

ha ha.

1. I have a birthmark on my knee. When I was just a tiny tot my mom had me on the counter while she scrubbed at my knee, thinking it was dirt. Then she realized I was too young to even have dirt on me, so she stopped.

{random stories are my favorite to tell.}


***

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!! :)

{looking back...}

delight yourself in
the LORD
and He'll give you
the desires
of
your heart,

psalm 37:4


***


About 447 days ago, Zack and I stood in front of my childhood pastor and listened as he spoke these words:

What is the date today?

June 7, 2008

That is 6-7-08

What does 6 + 7 + 8 equal?

21.

two become one.


***

that was so amazing!

{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 :)