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  • Meet Mountain Meg, our new camp trailer. So excited about this project! | Gypsy Magpie

    Mountain Meg
    • Missy
    • Adventure Before & After DIY
    • 18 April 2019

    If you’re following along with my Instagram stories then you’ve met Meg, our camp trailer. I thought I had introduced her here, but I guess I haven’t, so I figured I better get on that. Prepare yourself for a bunch of ugly before photos! Meg is a 23-foot 2007 Mega-Lite toy-hauler. We bought her “as […]

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  • Swiss Days 101
    • Missy
    • Adventure Arts & Crafts Holidays Tips & Tricks
    • 29 August 2017

    Every Labor Day weekend, over 100,000 people descend upon our little valley in search of food, gifts, and the latest crafty goodness. From 8 am – 8 pm on Friday and Saturday, the quiet town of Midway opens its doors and invites the world to shop and play. Swiss Days began as a harvest festival for the […]

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  • Teaching families the Adventure Code + free printable family code contract! | Gypsy Magpie

    The Adventure Code: Leave it Better than You Found it
    • Missy
    • Adventure Family Hippie
    • 25 April 2017

    Remember a few years ago when I shared with you “The Code” I learned from my dad? Well, that code has been on my mind a lot lately. As I’ve traveled around the western states, I’ve realized that Dad’s beloved adventure code has fallen out of fashion. While I big puffy heart LOVE that more […]

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  • Magpie Adventures: Sabino Canyon
    • Missy
    • Adventure Family Wings
    • 26 January 2017

    Trudging out to the chicken coop in thigh high snow has got me dreaming of warmer days. I always get a little restless as January draws to a close. I love winter and a fresh blanket of fluffy white but I find myself craving the warm sun on my face. Since I’ve got a while […]

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  • Magpie Adventures: Meadow Hot Springs | Gypsy Magpie

    Magpie Adventures: Meadow Hot Springs
    • Missy
    • Adventure Family
    • 15 July 2016

    Last week we headed to a family reunion outside of Oceanside, California. To break up the day long drive, we took a detour to some hot springs in central Utah to soak our feet and get the wiggles out. I thought I’d share our adventure in case other families out there would like to stop! […]

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  • Join us as we focus on NATURE for the month of June! | Gypsy Magpie

    June Family Focus: Nature
    • Missy
    • Adventure Create Family Roots
    • 31 May 2016

    The hubby got a few days off from the road so we loaded up the car on Friday and took off for Sanpete County. We spent Memorial Day weekend up on the mountain with my family and had so much fun. Nature has a way of slowing things down, clearing the mind, and helping a […]

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  • Magpie Adventures: Goblin Valley State Park | Gypsy Magpie

    Magpie Adventures: Goblin Valley
    • Missy
    • Adventure Family
    • 17 May 2016

    For Spring Break this year, we took a road trip to Southeastern Utah for a little R&R. The first 6 months of the year is my husband’s heavy time for his trucking company which takes him away for weeks at a time, so by April we were all in need of a family getaway. We […]

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    • Welcome to Gypsy Magpie, my little creative happy place. Here you’ll find an eclectic mix of things that bring me joy. From family, DIY, food, and crafts, to nature loving, repurposing, spirituality, gardening, vintage fun, and all things home, with a sprinkling of hippie-ness and a hefty dose of heart. Come along for the ride as I grow some roots to balance my wings.

    XOXOX, Missy

    • Latest Posts
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      50 Journal Prompts to get through Quarantine

      By Missy
      22 April 2020
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      Rain, Little Kidneys & COVID-19

      By Missy
      8 April 2020
    • Tips and Tricks for Applying Glaze | Gypsy Magpie

      Tips & Tricks for Applying Glaze to Furniture

      By Missy
      28 February 2017
    • Darling DIY Chalkboard Globe | Gypsy Magpie

      Inspire My Creativity: DIY Chalkboard Globe

      By Missy
      12 July 2017

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    gypsymagpie
    Hey girl. ⁣ ⁣ Don’t get caught up comparing Hey girl. ⁣ ⁣ Don’t get caught up comparing your squares to some other chick’s. Because right outside that pretty frame, her husband’s giant mutt just peed a lake on her rug. 💦
    This pandemic and my daughter’s newly diagnosed This pandemic and my daughter’s newly diagnosed health condition have changed everything. Forcing me to take a step back and reimagine what the coming summer months will be. We were going to see Disneyland for the first time since my youngest babe fit in a front pack. We had camps, trips, and weddings all planned. But those plans have fallen to pieces at our feet. Though I am sad for what I have lost, I am also grateful for what I’ve gained. Time. Time to play games with my kids. To breathe deep. Time to make real food. To take walks with my man. To eat and see, feel and write. To slow down. These past months have been so stressful and hard, but they’ve been precious too. Things aren’t always happy or sad... life is a little of every emotion all rolled into one messy, wondrous experience after another.⁣ ⁣ I don’t know what the days ahead hold but I hope there is time for the good stuff. Like late night chapters of Where the Red Fern Grows and hammocks holding grass covered 10 year old toes.
    There aren’t many photos with me in them. I cons There aren’t many photos with me in them. I constantly have a camera in my hand but I’ve never been very comfortable on the other side of one. My husband snuck this pic on our camping trip last week. It’s really not all that flattering. No makeup. Boots with sweats and flannel. But, when my kids look back, I hope this is the mama they see. The one who taught them how to reconnect to what matters on dusty mountain roads, sang around the campfire, and stayed up too late reading stories by flashlight. Lover of flowers, old things, hammocks, and fairy lights. Hugger of trees. Seeker of magic among the ordinary. ⁣ ⁣ I haven’t felt beautiful since 3 kids ago. My body paid a hefty price to get them here and I’ve never been the same. But I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. Being their mama is the greatest adventure I have ever had. It’s time to start showing up in the photos and prove it.
    Today was a rough one. My baby girl was fighting s Today was a rough one. My baby girl was fighting some pretty big emotions. The steroid wasn’t playing nice. Thank goodness we get to start weaning her off soon. She’s lonely and wants me right by her side. I love her to the sun & stars, but Mama needs space and a little rest.⁣ ⁣ In an effort to keep her distracted, we tweaked a family recipe to create a lower sodium banana bread. She needs to learn these skills hands on, to know the how and why. As her meds decrease the strictness will relax, but she’ll always need to watch her salt. Salt. In everything. And it’s all so much for a 10 year old to process. She’s tired. I’m tired. But we’ll get there, one day at a time.
    It’s no secret that I love springtime. I love ev It’s no secret that I love springtime. I love every season change, they are each so unique and fascinating in their own respective ways. But there is just something about spring, the fresh budding blossoms or fuzzy baby animals, that makes me feel restored after a long mountain winter. Spring whispers to my soul that good things are to come. I hurried to snap a few photos of this beautiful spring bouquet before our resident Sneezy comes home from work and tells me to release them back to nature. Be free, my beauties! Allergies are killjoys. 🤧
    The girls named their chicks after Donna & The Dyn The girls named their chicks after Donna & The Dynamos. Yep, Mamma Mia’s own Rosie, Tanya, and of course, Donna Sheridan, in her debut cameo photo above. What an attention hog. Poor Peggy is the oddball. I know the feeling, I’m the only M in a family full of Js. Seems fitting that she’d be the blonde. She should have been called Sophie but the youngest felt very passionately that she was a Peggy, so here we are. ⁣ ⁣ These babies will be grown in the blink of an eye, just like my babies. “Slipping through my fingers all the time.” My kids may not, but I will remember these moments and treasure them always.
    Happiness is: that first little spring pea shootin Happiness is: that first little spring pea shooting up through the dirt, reaching for the light 🌱
    Honestly, I have been stuck. Yes, there is kidneys Honestly, I have been stuck. Yes, there is kidneys and COVID. I am worn down and emotionally spent. But deep down it’s more than that. I have fought a lifelong battle with insecurity and self doubt. I am creative, passionate, and larger than life by very nature. A wildflower that often times gets mistaken for a weed. I am strong and loud and all over the place. But at the same time, I have an incredibly tender, soft, malleable heart. My soul is old. The books say words like highly sensitive. Empath. I wonder if he knows his mama will love him no matter if he makes that great tackle or gets a B in math? Is she happy? Does she have friends? What did I say? Why don’t they like me? How could I do better? Should I keep trying? Why? When? What? How? I write and then rewrite, only to delete or not share at all. Because the photo isn’t enough or the words might come out preachy. Nobody likes a Utah Mormon. Self righteous, I’ve been told. He thinks I am dumb. She might get offended. They don’t want to hear my words. It’s better to be quiet. Too much. I’m just too much.⁣ ⁣ The irony is... my weaknesses are also my strengths. My soft heart allows my eyes to perceive and ears to hear gentle quiet somethings those around me often miss. I serve with all my being and work harder than my body should handle. I can reach people, find lost ones. I create life and joy. Roots and wings. Others see it in me, while most days I do not. Funny creatures, we women are. Magnificently radiant and yet terrified of our own light. ⁣ ⁣ So, today I start an exercise. A challenge to become more comfortable in my own skin. Stretching and flexing my natural sunflower form. Following some prompts from @hopewriters I’m committing to post something everyday this week. Meaningful or silly. Shallow or deep. Not because it’ll make someone smile. Not to teach or lift or give. Not for followers or outwardly praise. But as a small offering of grace. To myself. My incredibly imperfect self. Because sometimes embers forget they are fire. And I need a spark.⁣ ⁣ 🌻 🐓 What does this have to do with a bowl full of eggs, girl? Nothing. They just bring me sunshine, and that is more than enough. ☀️
    No matter how old you get, sometimes you still jus No matter how old you get, sometimes you still just need a hug from your mom to make everything better. That is what I’ve missed the most these weeks of kidneys & quarantine... mama hugs. I’m a hugger by nature and I miss my mother’s hugs like crazy. Yes, I’m the mother now and I’m supposed to have it all together, but I really miss my mama. I guess that’s a good sign, isn’t it? Means she did her job with extra love and sparkle. She’s loved me so much over the years that she’s become a deep part of everything I am. I hope someday my kids will say the same. I’ve got big shoes to fill. Literally. 😉 Her feet are bigger than mine. I’ve been taller than her since I was 11, but I’ll always be her little girl. And that’s how it goes. The circle continues and now it’s my kids who are bigger than me. Walking around with my heart in their hands. ⁣ ⁣ Oh, and guess what decided to show up for Mother’s Day? Yay for the mountain finally getting some Spring flowers! I’m going to pretend my trees are popping popcorn just for me. Because it’s Mother’s Day and I can be selfish like that if I want.
    While reading a talk this morning, these words sto While reading a talk this morning, these words stood out like they were meant just for me. Don’t you just love when that happens? Those little precious messages He lights up for our eyes at just the right moment. Good things are to come, even now. Someday I will look back on these days and say to that late 30s mama, “You’re doing just fine. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.” ⁣ ⁣ My girl will eventually choose in to her new lifestyle. We won’t battle over salt and medicines all day every day. She’ll lead an amazingly beautiful life. Quarantine won’t last forever. Chin up. Trust God. Believe in good things to come. Because they surely will. Maybe you needed this too. Happy Sabbath, my friends.
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