{3 winners, Collin, fabric and joy}

a big YEOW! goes to:

$35 shop credit -- Hana @ the MomTog diaries
$25 shop credit -- Lyndsey @ Adventurous + Lovely
$15 shop credit -- Paula @ Boogers and Burps

*please email me at whitley.maggie{at}gmail{dot}com

I stopped the giveaway at 200 comments. I thought that was a nice number :) Thank you to all that entered -- and have been leaving me comments regarding my LA Times excitement. I love reading your thoughts, so thank you!!! Yippee for Gussy.

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

I called Collin yesterday to wish him a Happy Birthday. Then later that evening, he called me to thank us for his birthday gifts {once he opened them}. He told me the bubble wand "was just want I wanted!"

Of course it is, precious Collin. Aunty knows what is fun :)

We picked out a Spiderman bouncy ball, a crazy fun 12-foot long sprinkler, and an orange t-shirt. And the bubble wand, of course. Collin told me the sprinkler was from Uncle Pony {aka: Zack} and the t-shirt was from me. Hah! :)

{I love shopping for my nephews.}

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

I have been so tired lately. Boooo. February was a busy month and now it's March. Whoa? Whoa.

It is OK though -- Gussy is pushing through. I have been ordering some new fabrics online {love that option!} and they are amazing! Some new prints, new designers. Very excited to sew with them soon. I also ordered more black & white damask for the laptop bags -- so those will be available shortly as well. Love me some brightly colored ruffles. Ya'll are running me out of product ;)

And...

I bought something a little more bold. I feel like you will love it, though. It's also black & white, but a little more modern. Guess you'll just have to stick around to see what I've got :)



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

Do you ever find your self relishing on a memory that brings you just a ton of joy? Today the weather was so beautifully warm {especially since we're in Minneapolis} and so we had the windows open in our apartment. Wide open. The breeze was flowing in and the birds were being little Gussies. It smelled like summer outside. Summer has always been my favorite season...

I'll always remember the way my childhood home {in Michigan} smells in the summer as you walk up the steps to the second floor. It smells like adventure and sleepy land, mixed together perfectly.

Today I had a brief whiff of that amazing smell, all the way in Minneapolis. It was so perfect :)

And it brought me a ton of joy.

{jaw-dropping news}

Shriek with me?

Ready?

AHHHHHHHHHHH {jumps up & down}


I've got SUCH exciting news for you :)

Yesterday I received an email from Rene, who writes for the Los Angeles Times, saying she featured my Gussy products/blog in her recent Daily Dish post. You can click here to see it for yourself :)

I clicked over and sure enough, there was a link to my post on the many uses for your Gussy. Rene was speaking of my zipped pouches, saying, "Got supermarket coupons? Here's an adorable way to corral them."

Tee he he. I'm so... so flattered/excited/surprised/_____. All great things, of course.

AHHHHHHHHHH!!! ♥

This is my first real press experience for Gussy. And I can't stop smiling. And being thankful. And smiling. And giggling like a little Gussy that could sew ;) I wonder what else is in store for Gussy {raises eyebrow} ?

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

Know what else makes me smile? Today is my nephew Collin's birthday -- he's 5 years old! Very much looking forward to calling him later this afternoon to wish him a happy day :)

I am noticing in this photo that we have the same chin, hah.

This concludes my excitement for the day. My excitement so far...
Come back later -- I've got a darling shop feature to share :)

xo!

{It's Moooooonday!}

{update: this contest is now closed!}

HAPPY MONDAY!

***

Just trying to start off the week on the right foot. Isn't that what we hope and wish for when Monday rolls around?! That things go our way, we aren't late, we remember to bring our lunch to work, the day goes by fast, and alas, we can head home and relax before Tuesday comes.

Sigh.

That is how I like my Monday's to go.

So, how was your weekend?

Did you find a few hours to relax? I sure hope so :)

This weekend I was able to start on my big to-do list. Right now I'm working on a knitting bag for my mom {Mama Gus}. It's about 80% complete. I also realized {soon enough} that not sewing for 26 days wasn't the best idea.

But like I had any say in that, right?!

Anywoo.

I think this whole OK-we-are-moving-to-Minneapolis-in-three-days-Ready-Set-Go! thing is still really, really exhausting. I don't know if it's because during my entire I'm-supposed-to-be-sleeping-but-I'm-really-not-sleeping sleep I argue with myself about which state I live in.

{Because some days I can't believe we live here now.}

Michigan. Minnesota. Michigan. Michigan. Minnesota. Michigan. Minnesota.

Ugh.

GUSSY, STOP TALKING AND GO TO SLEEP!

This weekend marked our second week of being in a new state with a brand new job, yet I still feel as if we just moved in.

And now I'm rambling.

Great.

And now I'm talking {typing} to myself out loud.

***

My sweet nephew Collin starts 4-year-old preschool today. We talked on the phone last night for a few minutes.

He greeted me with, Hi Maggie!!!!!!!!

Oh, hello Collin, am I no longer your aunt?

I could tell he was super excited about starting preschool by the number of times he laughed when I asked him about it :) So adorable.

In between laughs he found time mention that Nicholas would be in his class...

Soon after he told me, Hold on a sec.

{he sets the phone down.}

In the background I can hear, Who is on the phone? {pause} Is she still there? {pause} Well pick up the phone and talk to her please.

Hi Aunt Maggie. Yeahhh, I just talked to your dad!

It is SO HARD to not roar with laughter over the things Collin says.
My goodness! :)

***

Zack and I are so glad Collin was able to stay at our house for a few days this summer. I'm not sure who loved the adventure more: Collin or Aunt Maggie. Or Zack, because after all, they did grill together.


Sweet Collin.
He holds the key to my &heart;.

So fascinated with the Detroit Zoo map that he took it everywhere.

***

Now, for the fun part.

Want to know the real reason why it's a HAPPY MONDAY?!

Because it's...

From now until whenever I say STOP!, you have the chance to enter to win this Mini-Gus coin purse:




woot!

***

Entry details:

• For one entry, you must leave a positive comment about your weekend
  

• For a second entry, follow my blog and tell me you are
  

• For a third entry, visit my Etsy shop and tell me which item you'd love to own

• And, for a forth entry, follow me on twitter

***

Ready, set, go!

{and good luck}

{Collin, part 3}

WE LOVE YOU, COLLIN!
Thanks for visiting us at our home! :)

Your shampoo bottle is waiting! :)

{Collin, part 2}

Welcome to the Detroit Zoological Park! On Tuesday, Zack and I took Collin to the Zoo. It was a perfect, perfect day to go: 70 degrees, blue sky and breezy. While it was packed full of people, we loved the day trip! We brought the stroller because we expected to be there for a few hours. In fact, we were there for 3. The stroller saved us from going home early I believe :) I was a bit surprised at how content Collin was with riding in it, but glad, nonetheless.

See my beautiful necklace that my nephews made me for my birthday? I wore it to the Zoo and Collin kept telling me, Aunt Maggie, I made your necklace. I made it for your birthday!!! :) It is AWESOME!


One adventure we went on while at the Zoo was the Australian Outback Adventure. Lots of kangaroo's hopped and rested around us. I don't think Collin was too keen on them... he didn't have much to say as we walked through it. I was a bit surprised ;) He usually talks to animals like they are people.




He loved the giraffes, though. We were all amazed at their size. At one point over his stay with us Collin told me, One day you'll be big like Uncle Pony.

Ummm, think again sweet child. Aunt Maggie will always be 5'4".


After our picnic lunch we shared a Lemon Chill. It sure was tasty!






One character Collin loves is Curious George. He loves all kinds of monkeys, too. Here is a gorilla we saw. Collin was sure to notice {and share with us} that they have butts, just like people. Yup, you're right Collin!



I love that Collin is holding on to Zack's hair here. Hilarious! :)



The only other thing we spent equal or more time doing while at the zoo was looking at the map. Collin loves to look at maps and know where we are going next. I was told that Collin now says, OK! So, what's the plan? And I just know that is because Zack told him throughout our trip at the zoo, OK, Collin, this is the plan...





Another exhibit we saw was Amphibianville. This HOP sign was outside the exhibit building. Pretty cute.



To get to the front of the zoo fast we rode the train. Collin also loves trains and Thomas the Train, so he was super pumped about this final adventure.






Looking at these pictures makes me miss Collin so much. He is so full of personality and spunk. I have a large part of my heart reserved for him :)

{Collin: part 1}

The last few days have been lovely, wonderful, and BUSY at Gussy's house. My nephew, Collin, visited us Sunday night through Wednesday morning. He has been so good. Only maybe four times was he really in time out. That's like 1.3 times a day, on average ;)

One time when I got him from time out he looked at me and said, I don't like your house. You need to fix a few things. The ceiling needs to be blue and the walls pink. And the kitchen needs to be orange. Hmm. I thought we were going to talk about NOT being naughty and his listening skills. Instead we talked about our poor color choices. Dang, Zack. We failed ;)

The boys went grocery shopping Monday morning while I did some Etsy work. Then the three of us played until lunch time. Zack cooked up Spider Man macaroni & cheese for lunch. We also had grape juice and watermelon pieces. YUM! Collin told Zack roughly 28 times, You're such a good cooker, Uncle Pony.

I love all the cute things that come out of Collin's mouth. Especially because he has super cute facial expressions, and is very visual with his hands when he speaks. I love it.

After lunch we gathered some snacks, water, towels, and extra clothes and got ready for the beach. We drove to the Metro Park at Lake St. Clair and Collin keep the conversation flowing the entire drive. Sure does make Gussy proud ;)





A lot of times he starts a conversation by saying, OK! So...




It is super precious.




When we got to the Metro Park we headed to the Squirt Zone, which is the coolest thing ever!




Zack and I took turns playing with Collin and I think we both were silently wishing our turns could last just a few extra minutes. The Squirt Zone was built on this amazing foam flooring -- so comfy to run around on.




The Squirt Zone overlooks the lake and it was a perfect combination of sun + breeze. It was so gorgeous outside :) We all had a lot of fun.








In fact, Collin decided to take a puppy nap on the way home. When we pulled in the driveway I was a little nervous he'd be crabby from a way-too-short nap. Not at all, though! He told me he wanted to go inside and explore; No nap for me, he said.



Happy Gussy! :)