Author: Maggie Eterno

What’s Up Wednesday {3.31.21}

Published on by Maggie Eterno5 Comments

Hi, friends! On the last Wednesday of the month, I link up with Shay and Sheaffer for a fun link up. As Shay says, “It’s a little food, a little family, a little what we’re wearing, a little what we’re doing, a little what we’re watching and a little bit of everything else all in one post.”

It’s also the last day of the month! What?! I love this time of year. The beginning of spring, the end of the school year, summer! I can’t wait!

But back to What’s Up Wednesday! Are you ready? Grab your coffee and let’s do this.

1. WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK:

I have nothing fun to share here. Our lives have been so crazy this month and sadly, we’ve eaten out more than we like to do.

So what have we eaten? Chick-fil-A! Lol!

2. WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT:

I’ve actually thought a lot about this time last year. I know there was so much uncertainty and anxiety around the world, but there was so much peace in our home.

We truly handed it over to God and He was so faithful. I miss our days at home with nothing on the calendar. We took walks everyday, we had movie night every single night and ate dinner together every evening.

Last Easter, we sat in our pajamas on the couch and watched the service online. And every night leading up to Easter we talked about what Jesus was doing that day. We watched Passion of the Christ on Good Friday and completely experienced a Holy Week in a whole different way.

It is true what the Bible says that what the enemy means for evil, God turns it for our good. Goodness comes from our adversity.

I am so thankful for 2020. It brought my little family closer. Today, we still have movie nights and my kids would rather spend time with us than be out and about with friends. We do more as a family and I have 2020 to thank for that.

3. WHAT I’M LOVING:

Joseph and I have been working together for a couple of years. But I’ve always handled the operations and marketing for our business. Lately, I’ve been getting myself out there and actually showing properties to clients. We’ve also tag teamed a lot lately and helped our clients together. It’s been really fun!

I’m excited to continue to venture more into the agent side of real estate. I do have the best trainer teaching me his ways so I’m a lucky gal!

If you’re local, I would love to help you! Send me a message and let’s connect!

4. WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO:

Oh man…these kids are running us ragged, ha!

Jojo is finishing up middle school golf and playing for a league. So we are busy every day with him.

Mackenzie is deep into the soccer season. Practices and games every week and weekend!

And she also started golf! So we have that once a week.

And our bear, well she’s had a lot more time on her hands. Her sport doesn’t start until late summer so she’s enjoying her time off!

She’s staying active by walking our dog, Georgia and yesterday she decided to go for a run after her walk! It made my runner heart so happy!

5. WHAT I’M DREADING:

Laundry. Need I say more? Ha! Laundry has been the thorn in my side for weeks. Ugh.

6. WHAT I’M WORKING ON:

I’m working on a couple of real estate projects and just trying to keep my head above water with chores at home. This season is so crazy for us and I’m just trying to stay positive.

I’m also working on a couple of fun blogging things! It’s still in the early process, so I’ll share more soon.

7. WHAT I’M EXCITED ABOUT:

SPRING BREAK!! Woohoo! Anyone else?!

8. WHAT I’M WATCHING/READING:

I started watching Ginny and Georgia and it’s so good! I’m so slow when it comes to watching series so I’ll get to the end eventually. But I am loving it so far! Have you watched it?

During quarantine, I joined a book club in my neighborhood. I read the most I’ve ever read during that time because hello, there was nothing else to do lol!

I’ve missed the last couple of meetings because kids sports and also, I haven’t been able to read the book of the month. It’s been so frustrating because I love reading.

I’ve been walking everyday and thought that I would give Audible a chance. And y’all, I love it! I “read” the book in under 48 hours! And it was a good one!

If you love a thriller, this one is good! I’m excited about finally making it to book club next month and actually reading the book.

9. WHAT I’M LISTENING TO:

Oh y’all! This song right here has been on repeat since Sunday!

Soooo good!!

10. WHAT I’M WEARING:

Well… let’s see. Lots of leggings and T-shirts lately. I have not gotten dressed like I normally do. I think because we’ve been so busy!

But speaking of leggings, these right here are amazing! If you are looking for a less expensive option then these are it. They have that buttery soft feeling and totally remind me of the lululemon align leggings.

I have them in black and just ordered these! I love the blue color.

I am also wearing these denim shorts from Target on repeat. And this sweater! I have it in two colors.

I also splurged on these beauties!

They will definitely be a staple in my wardrobe this spring and summer. And they are on sale!

11. WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND:

We are headed to our favorite place, HHI!!

12. WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:

We are headed to HHI so definitely looking forward to some family time. It’s been much needed. I’m just praying that the weather forecast stay the way it looks right now. I’m also looking forward to the end of April, ha! It means that May is almost here and that means the end of the school year and start of summer!

13. WHAT ELSE IS NEW:

Nothing else, really! I’ve covered it all!

I hope you all have an amazing day!! Thank you for reading!

XO

Children Are Great Imitators

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Last week I was reminded that sometimes my actions speak louder than words.

I try my best to wake up early every day and spent some time in God’s Word. In the mornings when Mackenzie wakes up, I am normally sitting in my keeping room reading my Bible.

The other night she made the comment that she wanted to start doing her quiet time before school and asked if I could wake her up at 5:30 am.

I told her that was too early and that she needed her sleep.

At 5:45 am the next day, I heard footsteps and there she was. She sat with me and read her devotional book and filled it out. I helped her find verses in the Bible that she had to read. It was a special morning.

When I picked her up from school that afternoon, she mentioned that a girl was mean to her that day. But she also told me that she chose to be nice to her because in her devotional she read that we should love and pray for our enemies.

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” Matthew 5:44

She had no idea that I needed to hear this message that day.

I’ve never really forced my kids to have a quiet time. I will read a devotional to them in the mornings here and there, but nothing consistently. Mackenzie is my child who loves to read her devotional book and is very disciplined about it.

But the fact that she does it just based on what she sees in me, reminds me that our children are watching. Our actions speak louder than our words sometimes and this was a perfect example of that.

I was also challenged to do better about encouraging them out loud to have a daily quiet time and to go back to reading a daily devotional with them each day.

I know how much better my day goes after I spend time in God’s Word and I want them to experience the same.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

If you don’t have a daily quiet time, I encourage and challenge you to start. Just five minutes a day, sit and talk to Jesus and read His Word. You can read a chapter in Proverbs a day or read a Psalm a day. Fill your soul, heart and mind with His truth. As you begin to practice this, it will spill over into your family.

As you love the Lord with all your heart soul and mind, you will see that you will use every opportunity to share it with your kids. Use learning opportunities to share God’s truths with them. Remind them of who they are in Christ and encourage them by using God’s Word.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:5-9

We don’t have to be perfect. We just have to be consistent. Children are great imitators so let’s give them something great to imitate!

Have a great day, friends!

XO

Be You, Do You! You Are Loved!

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Good morning, friends! Happy Monday!! Anyone else counting down the days before Spring Break? I can’t believe how fast this school year has gone. Once Spring Break is over, I feel like the countdown to summer begins. And we LOVE summer around here.

This morning I wanted to share a little bit of my heart. I shared this quote on my Instagram stories last week and so many of you commented on it.

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in what everyone else is doing and how seemingly perfect their life seems to be.

I actually just did that today as I read a blog post from another blogger. She always seems to have it all together and she’s incredibly organized. I allowed my mind to go there. You know where there is…the pit of “I wish I could be her.”

I began to wish that I was more organized, more efficient with my time, a better mom, a better cook… you get the picture. I began to wish for better and more.

Thankfully my husband quickly bounced me back by reminding me that nothing is as perfect as it seems.

And not to say her life isn’t great! She just has strengths that are different than mine. And that’s ok!

We are all different. God did not make us the same. And thank goodness He didn’t because how boring would that be?

But even though He didn’t make us the same, guess what? He does love us the same!

He loved us all enough to send His only son to take our place and die for our sins.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

And this love, we don’t have to work for it. We don’t have to earn it. We don’t have to do one thing. God loves us just because. And He offers us a gift. A gift that we don’t have to work for. And that gift is eternal life. All He asks of us is to choose Him. And when we do, He promises us a life with Him for eternity.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

I know that it’s easy to compare our life to those that we see on social media. It’s easy to go down that road of saying our lives aren’t as good as so and so. But I’m here to tell you that your life is exactly what God has designed it to be. And when we look at someone’s life and wish for what they have, it keeps us from seeing all of the blessings that God is pouring into our life.

There’s a difference in being encouraged by someone’s life and being envious of someone’s life. And being encouraged is where I want to be.

I heard something a while ago that I’ve tried to put into practice when I feel comparison begin to steal my joy. It’s super easy to do and I want to encourage you to do the same.

It’s quite simple actually, when you feel yourself begin to get jealous or envious choose to compliment that person instead. Choose to be a cheerleader. It forces your brain to turn those negative thoughts into positive ones and it completely changes your mindset.

Instead of ignoring their post or stories, choose to comment and cheer them on instead. It may feel forced at first, but it will become second nature. I promise, I’ve done this and it’s changed my life so much. I suffered for years with discontent. And I refuse to allow myself to go down that hole again.

Sure, I still have my moments like I had today but I’m able to bounce back a lot quicker. I’m able to say, “gosh, she’s such an amazing mom and wife but so am I. Our lives just look different.” I’m able to believe that God may have given us different strengths and talents, but his love for both of us is the same.

And it also allows me to ask her for advice in the areas that she’s good at. I’ve learned so much from this particular blogger. Her posts about organization and time management have helped me tremendously.

And that wouldn’t have happened, had I let comparison get in the way.

Comparison not only steals joy. It has the power to steal friendships and families.

It’s ok to want to better our life just don’t convince yourself that your life right now isn’t great. Work towards goals while enjoying your journey.

So today I want to challenge you to be a cheerleader. When that post pops up in your feed that makes your skin crawl with envy and jealousy comment something positive. Compliment that person. Just do it once and see how it makes you feel. I can promise you that instead of dwelling on how much better their life is for the rest of the day…you will actually think about it only for a second and then it will be gone.

We have to be content. We have to work on our families and our lives. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It’s greener where you water it.

Stop trying to be her. Be you. Work on you. Do you. Water your family and choose to look for the good every single day.

I can promise you that her kids are throwing tantrums, too. She has bad days, too. She needs encouragement, too. Nobody is perfect.

I know that this post is all over the place, but I really hope that I was able to truly get my point across this morning.

If anything, I just want you to know that you are loved by the King. Joseph shared a song with me yesterday that’s on repeat right now. And one of the phrases that stuck with Joseph was this, “I’ll never be more loved than I am right now.”

Friend, He loves you. He loves you so very much. He created you and designed you for a purpose. Don’t devalue your purpose by trying to be someone else. Be who God made you to be. And if you feel like you aren’t there yet, then join the club. This life is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. We are all working towards our purpose. A purpose we will not achieve until we are in glory with Him!

Fight the fight. Fight YOUR fight.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8

I love y’all!! Click here to listen to the song Joseph shared with me. Make sure you listen to the lyrics. They are powerful!

XO

Friday Favorites {3.26.21}

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Happy Friday, friends!! I hope y’all had an awesome week. These weeks just seem to come and go so fast lately.

I have a fun Friday line up for you today. Let’s get started!

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika.

First things first, how cute is my precious new nephew?!!

I can not wait to finally hold him!

While my sister was in the hospital, I spent some one on one time with my sweet niece.

We went for a walk…

watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse…

tried to put our head through the soccer goal…

and watched the tree guys take down some trees.

We had a GREAT day!!

I also have to tell you that these denim shorts are by far my favorite shorts right now. They are American Thread by Target. They fit true to size with a little stretch for comfort.

So not only am I loving these denim shorts, but I’m also loving the sweatshirt that I’m wearing in the pic above! I also have it in this color…

It’s the perfect sweatshirt to transition into spring.

If you know me, then you know I am a devout Lululemon fan. So when these leggings were being compared to their Align leggings, I had to see for myself.

Y’all! I love them! They have the buttery soft feeling and for true to size. I did read in the reviews that if you wanted a little more compression to size down. I stuck to my normal size and have been very pleased. I’ve already bought them in another color!

Wednesday evening, Mackenzie was asking about waking up early to do her quiet time. I told her that she could do it at night instead of waking up earlier. She already wakes up at 6 am.

Yesterday morning, around 5:45 am, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I looked back and it was my sweet bug coming over to join me and do her quiet time.

So many times as a parent, we wonder if they are listening to us. But yesterday reminded that they are watching us and sometimes our actions are louder than words.

When I shared this pic on my Instagram, y’all asked me what she was using for her quiet time.

We are currently using this book.

I’m going to try and find some different options for children/teen devotions. I’ll share them once I find them!

Oh! One last thing. If you didn’t checkout my blog yesterday, make sure you do! I shared a couple of my favorite Amazon dresses. You can read all about them, here.

That wraps up my week! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

XO

SHOP THIS POST

Amazon Dresses

Published on by Maggie Eterno4 Comments

Hey, Hey!! Happy Thursday, friends!! These weeks are flying by, aren’t they?!

We’ve had another busy week, but it’s been a good week. I kept my sweet niece yesterday because my little sis was having a baby. He is absolutely perfect! They are both doing great.

With Easter right around the corner, I thought I’d share a couple of my favorite Amazon dresses.

Last year, we all wore pajamas for a Easter! Do you remember that?? What a year we’ve had! But here we are. Getting ready to be able to attend this Easter in person. God is good!!

Alright, let’s do this!

I bought this one back in the fall. This style dress comes in many patterns and colors. I actually just purchased another one this morning.

Here it is in white with yellow flowers. Super cute and fits great. I purchased my normal size and it fit well. It was a little snug across my chest so if you have that issue, I recommend sizing up. You can add a denim jacket if you need to! Georgia weather is never predictable!

The next two are long-sleeved, but they are lightweight. They also come in different colors and patterns. You can wear them with boots, booties or cute wedges.

I love the green! It also comes in a pretty pink color that would be perfect for Easter.

Do you color coordinate your family? I used to until the kiddos finally vetoed me, ha!

I’m linking all below! The good thing about Amazon is that you can order and have them on your front porch in a couple of days! I’m also linking some of my favorite sandals that would go perfectly!

Alright, I’m off to do something totally out of my comfort zone! I am going to learn to play pickleball 😬. Wish me luck, guys!!

I hope y’all have an amazing day!!

XO

Baby Duty

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Morning, friends!! Today is baby day for my little sister!! We are all so very excited to finally meet baby Luka!

Joseph and I are on baby duty today so we have the cutest little sidekick with us.

Isn’t she the cutest?!!

We were quickly reminded how old we are when we had to YouTube how to break down the stroller…haha!

YouTube for the win!

Please say a prayer for my sister and baby Luka. Praying for a quick and smooth delivery.

I hope y’all have an amazing day!

XO

Where is God in our Pain?

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Morning, friends!! I hope you had an amazing Monday and I hope your Tuesday is off to a good start.

This weekend I heard an amazing message about why we go through painful experiences and where is God in those situations.

The speaker said something that I’ve repeated in my head over and over again.

The presence of pain does not mean the absence of God. Read that again, the presence of pain does not mean the absence of God.

So many times when we go through things and we ask ourselves, where is God? Why am I going through this?

The answer is SIN. Because of the whole Eve ate the apple event, sin came into the world. We could unpack that, but we will leave that for another day.

What I want us to really focus on this morning is, where is God in our pain?

The speaker used the story of Lazarus. Mary and Martha were so upset and told Jesus that had he been there, their brother would not have died. As Jesus looks around and sees everyone so upset about the death of Lazarus, we find the shortest verse in the Bible, John 11:35, Jesus wept.

He wept. He felt their pain. He knew what he was about to do yet He still wept. He was moved by their heartache. He was right there with them.

And friend, that’s where Jesus is in your pain. He is right there with you. At times you may not feel Him or see Him moving, but His Word is true and it tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us. He tells us that we can take heart because He has overcome the world.

Sin brings sorrow, pain and heartache, but Jesus brings joy, comfort and peace. And the best thing is that He promises us a life without pain. A life where we will live forever with Him.

Revelation 21:4 says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Yes, sin came into the world but God loved us so very much that He gave us a Savior. A savior who conquered death! We may experience pain here, but we do not experience it alone.

God does not leave us in our horrible circumstances. He’s with us every step of the way. Hold on to Him. Do not let go and do not take your eyes off of Him. Believe Him at His word that says in Genesis 50:20, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

It doesn’t mean that your pain is good, it means that goodness will come from your pain. Your pain will not be in vain. Trust Him.

The speaker also said at the end of the message that he knew his message was intellectually satisfying, but not emotionally satisfying.

I know that the “christian answer” many times doesn’t comfort us. But I think that’s when we have to dig in deep and force ourselves to trust God. And how do we do that? We get in His word, we fall on our knees and pray and we surround ourselves with other people who are like minded that will pray and encourage us in our pain.

Life is hard. I know. Don’t do it alone.

How can I pray for you today? Head over to my instagram and send me a direct message or comment below.

I hope you all have a great day!

XO

What Are You Picking Up?

Published on by Maggie Eterno1 Comment

Morning, friends!! Today I want to share a devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries by Arlene Pellicane.

I read it this morning and talk about conviction. It’ll only take a couple of minutes! You can read it, here.

I am so guilty of this and truly needed to read this today. I hope this challenges and encourages you today.

Have a GREAT Monday!!

XO

Friday Favorites {3.19.21}

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Hi, friends! I am a little late getting this post together. We overslept this morning and then I had an early meeting in Suwanee. So needless to say, our morning was a blur! But, thank goodness it’s Friday right?! I hope y’all had a great week!

As always, on Fridays, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for Friday Favorites!

The real estate market is so crazy right now. This past weekend, we worked all weekend. Showing houses to clients and writing offers. Right now every offer we write is going up against multiple offers from other buyers.

You have to have representation more than ever right now, and I know I may be bias but our team is pretty amazing! This weekend, Joseph and I were able to get two of our clients under contract. We went up against multiple offers on both, but we were able to advise and negotiate and win!

This year, I’m hoping to work with more sellers and buyers. I normally only take on one or two here and there because I do more of the marketing and operations. But this year, I want to dive in a little more.

So if you are in the market to buy and/or sell, give me a call! I would love to represent you and help you on your home journey.

On Sunday, we went to brunch in Athens and had Joseph take this pic. I just love downtown Athens! I really love this sweatshirt I bought at Target recently. It comes in so many different colors. It’s lightweight and can be worn with jeans or shorts. You can view all of the details, here.

I wore it again on Tuesday! See! I love this top.

So many colors to choose from!

Monday at practice, Mackenzie ran up to me and brought me a flower. It took me back to when she was in elementary school and would pick flowers during recess, put them in her pocket and give them to me after school. Gosh, I love her so much!!! You can read the post I did on Instagram, here.

Time sure does fly, y’all!

These no show socks are the bomb! Seriously!

This lip gloss is also a current fave! I struggle with chapped lips. And this lip balm has really helped with that. I love Mario Badescu’s products.

Alright y’all, I’m out! I hope y’all have a great weekend!

XO

Throwback Thursday {10.12.20}

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Morning! Today’s Throwback Thursday is from last October. If you are feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, I hope this encourages you today.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

This weekend I finished The Fight to Flourish by Jennie Lusko. I know I sound like a broken record, but I loved this book so much! As I finished it this weekend, this journal entry Jennie shared really spoke to me. And I think it will speak to you, too.

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:4

Jesus defeated the power of death. But on THIS day, death will die.

Today:

  • Have confidence in Christ.
  • Walk close to Jesus.
  • Don’t let anything be wasted.
  • Be a good wife.
  • Be a fun mom.
  • Take your role seriously, but not yourself.

Lord, have your way in me today. Open my eyes to see how you see.

This is my prayer for today and I encourage you to make it your prayer, too. Lord, help us be confident in you, walk close to you and make the most of every moment we have. Help us be the wives and moms you call us to be and to have fun while doing it! 

If you are feeling exhausted and overwhelmed today, stop and breathe. Girl, you are doing an amazing job! We are so hard on ourselves and we are our own worst critic. Today, see yourself as Jesus sees you. You are special, loved, His masterpiece, His daughter. You may not be strong, but He is. You may not feel like you are enough because you are not. No one is. But we serve a God who is more than enough!

Rest in Him, embrace your journey, love those around you and stay close to Jesus.

XO