Ageless Style - Summer Love

The Ageless Style Link Up-  The first Monday of every month a group of over forty fashion bloggers pick a monthly theme and show different ways of styling it. 

This month's Ageless Style Theme is "Summer Love" and was chosen by Daenel.    She told us that she did not have instructions for us and to just have fun with the theme.  Everyone on the team was pretty happy to hear this!  For me it was a relief because ever since the Coronovirus and subsequent lockdowns, I haven't been buying any new clothes (well, I did buy two new pair of sneakers) nor have I been going anywhere to need any new clothes.  But after all the months of staying home, and then weeks of horrific violence in America, hubby and I were ready to get out and have some fun and try to put it all out of minds even if for only a little while.  We decided to have one of our "Sunday Fun Days" and after our church service, we grabbed some subs, and headed to a local state park for a picnic lunch and nature trail walk.

We enjoyed looking at this beautiful lake view while we ate our lunch.

Now I had to dress for both a casual church service plus a short hike so I wore an athletic skort, a metallic pink tee, comfy silver sandals, and I carried a cross body to hold my phone and sun glasses.

Summer Love for me is all about getting out and enjoying the outdoors.  I spend most of my summer days in my own "Garden of Eden", my backyard, but when I'm not there you will most likely find me hiking somewhere with my husband.  We are huge nature lovers and love to hike.  

The trail we took this day was a short but sweet one.  The "Beaver Meadow Trail" is an easy one mile trail in Lake Wissota Wisconsin State Park.  It is a loop through a forest with views of a pond and a little creek.  It was so peaceful and so refreshing to be in the quiet of the woods during such tumultuous times.  We enjoyed it so very much and our spirits were lifted.

We never saw any beavers, just a couple of ducks, but that's ok because I see lots of beavers just down the road from my house.

The ferns were loving all the wet, cool weather we had been experiencing.

I saw a few wildflowers too, like this wild geranium.

And now, be sure and check out the other ladies of Ageless Style to see how they interpreted the theme "Summer Love"

Amy ~ Amy's Creative Pursuits Blog, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest

Bettye ~ Fashion Schlub Blog, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube

Daenel ~ Living outside the stacks Blog, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter

Debbie ~ Fashion Fairy Dust Bloglovin, Blog, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Jennie ~ A Pocketful of Polka Dots Blog, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Bloglovin

Jodie ~ Jodie's Touch of Style Blog, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter

Julia ~ When the Girls Rule Blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram

Kellyann ~ This Blonde's Shopping Bag Blog, Instagram, Bloglovin, Twitter

Shelly ~ The Queen in Between Blog, Instagram, Bloglovin, Pinterest, Facebook

Shugunna ~ Nzuri N* Simplicity Blog, Pinterest, Instagram

Have A Great Day!  Amy

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A Masculine Card For Father's Day

Happy belated Father's Day everyone!  I hope everyone had a great Father's Day, we certainly did.  We were childless but we had a nice time together as a couple and of course the kids called to wish their Father a Happy Father's Day.

I decided to wait to show the card I made for my husband till after Father's Day because I never know who is snooping on my blog and I don't want him to see it beforehand.  I think it's such a generic masculine card it could be used for any event for a guy and not just Father's Day.

The stamp set is an old retired set from Stampin' Up! called "Thoughts of Father".  I just love this set.  They just don't make stamps like they use to and I'm very grateful I still own a lot of these old sets.  

Because the image is so intricate I used pencils to color it in.  I used designer paper for the background and then matted the main image base onto a dark blue paper.   I chose all the colors and papers to keep the card as masculine as possible.  

The inside of the card is stamped with a Father's Day message, but this card could easily be turned into a birthday card with a different message stamped inside.

And now for some Father's Day pictures.  We first went to church.  Yes, our church is open.  Some people seemed surprised by that when I posted these pictures to Facebook.  Our church reopened at 40% capacity about four weeks ago.  Our democrat governor illegally extended our lockdown so the republican legislature took him to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the judges ruled the lockdown illegal because the governor did not consult with the state legislature.  Our church then reopened two weeks later following CDC guidelines.  It is wonderful being back with the church body again and experiencing corporate worship.  I will never take going to church for granted again!

After church we took advantage of all the "freebies" the local restaurants had to offer for Father's Day.  First we went to Arby's where all father's got a free sandwich of their choice.  The dining room of the Arby's was still closed so we had to use the drive thru.  At first we were bummed, but it ended up being a a good thing because we found a sweet local park we didn't know about.  I googled local parks on my phone and found a park only about a mile from the Arby's where we could eat our lunch. It was such a cute park with a little bridge and creek.  There was a nice trail to that we hope to hike in the fall.

After our picnic lunch we went to Culvers for a free Father's Day ice cream.  Their dining room was open, (at a smaller capacity) so we took advantage of it.  It was the first time we sat down inside a restaurant since this nightmare began.  It's still weird with half the tables and chairs gone, the workers wearing masks, and all the "stand here" signs, cones, and tape, but it's better than the dining room being closed.

 

So there you have it, how we celebrated another holiday in our Covid world.  How was your Father's Day?  I'd love to hear from you!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

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May Bible Journaling Pages

The past month I finished the book of Job and started the book of Psalms.  Landing in Job and Psalms during the pandemic and subsequent civil unrest could not have been more timely.  The book of Job helped see me through some difficult times.  Like Job, I questioned where God was as people all over the world suffered because of the lockdowns.  Job was considered a godly man, yet he questioned God and wondered why he was suffering when he knew he had done nothing to deserve it.  

Job never did find out why he was put through so much suffering, although he questioned where God was in all of it, his faith never wavered.  Although I in no way suffered any of Job's losses during the lockdown, I too questioned where God was in all of it.  I had faith in Him.  I knew He had it all under His control. Yet, like Job, I was still sad and many verses in this book comforted me.

The verse on this page reminds me to put my faith in God and not in scientists or politicians.  

I love this whimsical pre-printed page.  After listening to Job lament for days, and Job's friends pathetic earthly advice to Job, God comes in like a storm and says "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?"  If God can create this amazing planet that we live on, we can trust Him to take care of our problems.

If God wants to do something, no one can stop Him.  His will, will always be done.  I got so frustrated with the tyrannical behavior of so many governors and officials during the lockdown.  There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to why one thing was closed but another was not.  The hypocrisy was never ending (and still is!).  The injustice of it all drives me crazy.  YET, I put my faith in God that these governors and officials can not stop God.  He can do anything!

Here is a page I created myself.  I thought this verse was so beautiful, I wanted to mediate on it by creating a page.  I colored the background with navy blue craft paint, then I hand wrote the verse in using a white gel pen.  I stamped the stars with white craft ink.

Isn't this a beautiful, happy page?  I love the graphics and found it a joy to color.  It renewed my spirits.

I love this verse.  It gave me hope.  The past few months have been so sad, and honestly, I don't see it getting much better.  I know some things are opening up, but so many things are still cancelled, gone for good, or will never be the same.  But this verse gives me hope that better days lie ahead, if not on this earth, then in heaven.

This verse reminded me of how merciful and just God is in an unjust world.

I must admit that although I drew a lot of comfort from reading the book of Job, I was so excited to start the book of Psalms.  Psalms has always been one of my favorite books in the Bible.  I colored the title page with colors that represent the sun and also the light that the book of Psalms brings to people's souls.  Many Christians love to read a psalm a day to bring them comfort and encouragement.

I colored the background of this pre-printed image with pencils then filled in the words with gel pens.

Anyone as old as me may remember the Sandi Patti song based on this verse.  I think the song rang continuously through my head as I colored this verse.  It was a joy to color.

When I reached chapters 10 and 11 of Psalms, I could not help but see a similarity of the time period of David to today's modern society.  I wanted to create a page to document this period of US history in my Bible.  Three verses in these chapters really stuck out at me, so I wrote/stamped them on the page and surrounded the verses with a fiery image I created with pencils.

No matter what happens in this world, like David we can have complete assurance in ever lasting life.

Bible reading and family have kept me sane during these past few crazy months, but I also found so much peace and contentment being in my garden every day.  I have never been more grateful for my country home and the large "Garden of Eden" I get to enjoy everyday.  I don't know how I would have made it through without my yard.  I felt so sorry for people who lived in tiny apartments during the lockdown and could not get out and enjoy nature.  I love this verse because it is so TRUE!  Nature always brings me so much closer to God.  I just spend time in nature and all the worries of the world suddenly seem so small because I can see what He created and how truly powerful He is.    

How about you?  What sources have comfort have gotten you through the past few months?  I'd love to hear from you!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

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