"Cozy Moments to Calm Your Heart" Devotional Coloring Book

I really enjoy adult coloring books, but I don't just color any ol' book.  I prefer to buy books that have some connection to my faith, that way, I can both color and mediate on God's word at the same time.  I find coloring very relaxing.  I usually do it after all the chores have been done for the day;  about an hour before it's time to start supper.  It recharges me to sit and rest a spell after running around all day.

I have been working on a coloring/devotional book of the Book of Psalms which I showed you in these two blog posts:  "Coloring Through the Book of Psalms" and "Coloring Through the Book of Psalms, Part II".    But I decided to take a break from the book and return to it in the spring/summer after I saw the "Cozy Moments to Calm Your Heart" book on Dayspring.  I thought it was such a pretty winter book, and would look lovely sitting on my coffee table, and who doesn't love cardinals, right?

The book has over 158 pages, half of which are coloring pages, so it is quite a thick, large book, and I doubt I'll even finish it this winter.  

It is spiral bound, which makes it so much easier to color than normal coloring books.  And the pages are super strong and thick so you don't need to worry about bleeding through the other side (unless you use markers, which bleed through anything).

The very first page is a dedication page.  I colored the page, but I left the spaces blank.  I'm not sure if I'll regift this book when I'm finished.  Not every one likes to color, and they may appreciate reading the devotionals and looking at the beautifully colored pages by yours' truly.

The next page is an introduction to the book.  This book is all about "Resting in the Lord";  taking advantage of the long, cold winter as a time to experience the calming presence of God.

The next page features a devotional with an illustration to color on the opposite page.  The entire book is set up this way.  Each time you flip the page, there is another devotional and another coloring page.  The devotional always includes a scripture, which I try to mediate on as I color, and pray.

The designs in this book are so large and intricate it takes me a long time to finish coloring one page.  I chose to use colored pencils so it doesn't bleed on the other side of the paper.  I never used to like coloring with pencils, but I taught myself how to work with them and I've really been enjoying it.  It does help to use high quality colored pencils like Prismacolor Pencils or Castle Arts.

For the duration of this post, I will only show you the rest of the pages I have colored so far, along with the title of the devotional and a scripture reference.

"A Candle in the Dark"

Romans 5:5

"Revealing Love, Inviting Peace"

Proverbs 15:1

"The Calm Path"

1 Kings 19:11-12

"A Blanket of Peace"

Proverbs 15:18

"The Light Kept On"

John 1:5

"Rest and Reset"

Isaiah 9:7

"Giving the Pace A Break"

Isaiah 30:15

"Personal Peacemakers"

Proverbs 17:27

"With Full and Grateful Hearts"

John 1:14

"The Love We Crave"

Zephaniah 3:17

"God's Work in the Wait"

Isaiah 40:31

"Good and Helpful"

Psalm 94:19

"Things Our Soul Needs"

Psalm 119:52

 I hope you enjoyed my colored pages!  I will show you more as I complete them.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

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A Fall Hike in Turkey Run State Park

I am back from fall break and I will be continuing on with my fall travel series.  If you missed any of my previous posts you can find them here:  Bird Watching at the La Crosse Marsh, A Return to Galena Illinois, A Visit to the Lincoln Home, A Visit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, and The Lincoln Tomb and Historic Springfield.

After three days of vacation with just my hubby and I, it was time to meet up with the kids and grandkids.  We chose Turkey Run State Park because it was on the way to their place for us, and only an hour and half drive for the kids.

Turkey Run State Park in Indiana has over 14 miles of hiking trails ranging from easy to very rugged trails.  We had little kids plus a five month old, so we weren't able to hike very long.  We crossed the famous suspension bridge (pictured below) and visited "Rocky Hollow", then we hiked just a little bit of "Turkey Run Trail 10" to see the Crevice Rock and then we had to call a day.  I was kinda bummed because I had never been here before and I really wanted to see it all, but with little kids, you have little legs, and they just can't hike as far as adults.

The Suspension Bridge

To get to most of the hiking trails in Turkey Run State Park you need to cross the suspension bridge.  It is seventy steps down to just get to the bridge.  Once you cross the bridge you will be in the Rocky Hollow Nature Preserve that contains deep sandstone canyons and one of the last remnants of forests that once filled Indiana.

The bridge is a 200 foot long wire suspension bridge originally built more than a century ago.

The bridge hangs over Sugar Creek, but swimming and wading is prohibited in the park, so you can only enjoy the water from above. 

Baby Lazarus had it easy that day, taking turns between being carried by Grandpa Todd or snug safe in Mommy's baby's wrap.

The view of Sugar Creek from the bridge.

We were so excited to see a crane in the water below.

Rocky Hollow Nature Preserve

Rocky Hollow Nature Preserve is a well preserved piece of the past.  20,000 years ago the glaciers retreated leaving a barren landscape.  Soon, vegetation blanketed the newly exposed bedrock.  Tundra turned to forests of spruce, hemlocks, and other evergreens.  In Rocky Hollow, the clock stopped about 12,000 years ago.   The canyon has kept the temperature and moisture conditions similar to that long time ago.  In 1975, Rocky Hollow was awarded status as a National Natural Landmark.  It is also a state Nature Preserve.

The trail is very beautiful.  You are surrounded by tall sandstone walls and the most fascinating geological formations. 

Just look at the height of the rock in comparison to my daughter and new born baby.  Wow!

There is a lot of interest on this trail, and lots of rock climbing, so the little ones were also entertained.

I loved the color on the rocks produced by all the moisture.

Depending on what time of year you go, the water levels vary.  When we were there it was pretty dry so we were able to hike pretty far, but I heard in spring you may not be able to hike as far because of the water depth.  It seems like it is always wet, so be prepared to get your shoes muddy.

At this part, we decided to turn around and go back rather than make the loop.  The rocks were getting wetter and slippery, and we worried Ashley was going to fall with the baby.  I was kinda bummed because I did want to see the "Punch Bowl". 

We spent some time taking fall family photos.

                         Turkey Run Trail 10

Next, we headed for "Turkey Run Trail 10" to see "Crevice Rock".

This was a cool trail because of the wooden steps going up and through all the interesting rock formations.

This trail is 1.4 miles long and leads you to the "Camel Back Overlook".  We just climbed the stairs to the top and then came back down.  That was cool enough for the little ones.

Before I leave, I have to mention that there are several historic buildings in this park too, like the "Leiber Cabin" pictured below.

I don't know if I'll ever get back to Turkey Run State Park to explore more;  I certainly hope so.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!
 

Stitched Christmas Cards Using Spellbinder's Stitching Dies

I have a couple of Christmas cards to show you that I made with my Spellbinder's Stitching Dies.  I belong to the Spellbinder's Stitching Die of the Month club.  I get one die a month at a reduced price.  I'm really enjoying this club because it combines two of my favorite hobbies, sewing and paper crafting, into one!  Plus I think the stitching takes card making to a whole new level.

"Merry and Bright Cloche"

My first Christmas card uses the Spellbinder's die "Merry and Bright Cloche".  I had to admit I had no idea what a cloche was until I looked it up.  😁.  I really like this set because it has so many possibilities.  For my first card, I used the card exactly as it was meant to be used, but I can see just making a forest of trees, or constructing a shaker card with the cloche; the possibilities are endless.

To create the card I cut all the individual pieces out, ink blended the cloche, tree, and stand, and then stitched everything with metallic gold floss.  I then glued everything together, and popped the tree up on dimensionals.  The dark blue card base was embossed with a snowflake Cuttlebug embossing folder.

"All Wrapped Up"

My next card works great for many occasions, not just Christmas.  I could just change the colors and make a birthday card, graduation card, etc.

This card uses the Spellbinder's Stitching Die "All Wrapped Up".  On the inside of the card, I used a retired Stampin' Up! sentiment from "Star Studded Season".  I highlighted the word "gift" by stamping it separately on white card stock and cutting it out and gluing it onto the card.

To make this card, I cut all the pieces in two shades of red, then did the stitching with metallic gold embroidery floss.   I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder to create a Christmas design on white card stock.  I glued the bow to the white card stock and added a sentiment tag from "Flourishes".

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!