A New "Ageless Style" - Sparkle and Shine

I am so excited to share some good news!  The Ageless Style Link Up is back!  YAY!  If you remember way back in November I posted that the Ageless Style Link Up suddenly decided to call it quits.  I had only just joined the group and participated in just three challenges when some of the other ladies in the group decided they didn't want to do it anymore.  I was pretty sad about that because I loved being part of a group.  Well shortly after that, Shelbee asked me to join her group Stylish Monday;   I was thrilled to be asked!  Then, out of the blue I got an email from Jodie stating that Carrie was re-starting the Ageless Style Link Up link up again and told me if I was still interested I should apply.  I had no idea Carrie was the original creator of the Ageless Style group, and I was excited she was resurrecting the link up.  Daenel, who was part of the group when I was active, also re-joined the group.  Of the seven ladies, I already know five of them and I can't wait to know Cammi and Jami.  

The new, resurrected "Ageless Group" will post on the third Thursday every month.  Each blogger will take turns picking a theme and we will create outfits around the theme.  Readers will be invited to link up with us too!

This month's theme is "Sparkle and Shine".  For this theme, I decided to pull out an old rhinestone embellished sweater.  I thought it was perfect for both the challenge and the FRIGID cold temperatures we have been having in Wisconsin.  Would you believe it was  -22 degrees Sunday night?  BRRR!  And we have been stuck in this cold spell for over a week already with very little snow cover to insulate the ground.  When temperatures get that cold, every home, no matter how well prepared, starts to have issues.  Water pipes and septic systems freezing are common issues.  Our septic system has already started to back up, but thankfully we got it functioning again quickly.  Ahhh, the joys of living in Wisconsin!  😉

The best place to be when the temps get this cold is in front of one of my two wood stoves.  A wood stove is a must have for anyone who lives in northern Wisconsin!  And laying in front of a wood stove is where you will find my kitty Jackson on most winter days.  He just loves the warmth of the fire.

My rhinestone sweater I bought several winters ago from H&M.  It's a pun on the controversial Christmas song "Baby It's Cold Outside".  

I paired the sweater with burgundy skinny jeans, taupe booties, and a burgundy leather jacket.

I added more sparkle with large silver earrings and a bracelet. 

And now be sure to check out the "Sparkle and Shine" outfits of the rest of the ladies in our group and join our link up too!  We'd love to see what you're wearing!

Cammi ~ My Happy Place

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Carrie ~ A Stylish Fit

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Daenel ~ Living Outside the Stacks

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Jamie ~ No Delusions of Grandeur

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Jodie ~ Jodie’s Touch of Style 

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Leslie ~ Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After

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Mireille ~ Chez Mireille Fashion Travel Mom

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Have A Great Day!  Amy

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The Creation Museum - Outside Grounds

This week's travel post is part two of a series of our visit to see our grandchildren in Carmel, Indiana.  If you want to start at the beginning, go HERE. Other posts in chronological order are HERE and HERE!

My husband and I believe in the Biblical view of creation, meaning, we believe the earth was created in six days by God.  The Creation Museum, located in St. Petersburg, Kentucky is a 75,000 square foot facility that walks the visitor through the pages of Bible to show how God created the earth.  It is truly a beautiful and inspirational place that strengthens your faith in God the creator.  

There is so much to do at The Creation Museum that it takes the entire day to see it all!  In addition to the museum, there is the botanical gardens, a planetarium, a petting zoo, a playground, special speakers, a 4D special effects movie, and zip lines!  Almost everything is included with the price of admission except the planetarium and zip lines.   Because there is so much to do,  I am dividing my day at The Creation Museum into two posts.  This week I will cover the outside grounds:  the playground, petting zoo, and botanical gardens.  And next week I will cover the museum itself.

We were staying at my children's home in Carmel, Indiana the week we went to The Creation Museum.  It is only an hour and forty five minutes from their home.  Even though it was September it was a very hot day, so we decided to do all the outside stuff in the cool of the morning before it got too hot.  After almost two hours in the car, the kiddos were ready to stretch their legs, so we decided to let them enjoy the playground first.

The playground is state-of-the-art with lots of really fun equipment you don't find at just any park.  My grandkids, and even the adults, loved this playful zip line.

In keeping with the creation theme of the park, there are dinosaurs to climb on.

Of course the musicians in the family enjoyed the musical games.

Alethea really got a kick out of a zip line made just for kids.

Atticus thought the playhouse was the coolest thing ever.

My son, the percussionist, teaching Alethea a little bit about the xylophone.

After some time at the playground, we then headed over to the petting zoo:  The Eden Animal Experience.

Here guests can have a hands-on experience with God's amazing creatures.

I love how this little critter seems just as curious about my husband as he does about him!   And, I think it's time I bought my hubby a new hat too!  😁

Most of the animals are touchable and they also have scheduled animal shows.

After some time at the playground and the zoo, it was now grandma's time to have some fun...although I think the whole family enjoyed the botanical gardens as much as I did.  The gardens were absolutely breathtaking, and my favorite part of the entire museum.  

There are ten themed gardens with a variety of waterfalls and a three acre lake.  The themes of the gardens are:  the Bog Garden, the Butterfly/Hummingbird Garden, the Circle Garden, the Courtyard Garden, the Dry Creek Garden,  the Entrance Garden, the Koi Pond Garden, the Lake Garden, the Rainforest Garden, and the Woodland Garden.

All the gardens are connected by beautiful paved paths and many interesting bridges. This fun bridge was in the Bog Garden.

This beautiful curved bridge is in the Koi Pond garden.

Here you see two bridges at once in the Woodland Garden along with a pretty waterfall.

There is an amazing boardwalk that goes right over the entire length of the lake and winds up at a beautiful gazebo.  

A fun suspension bridge is located in the Rainforest Garden.

This was the perfect spot to stop and take some family photos,

There are numerous dinosaur topiaries and statues located throughout the gardens for the children's delight.  They are lit up at night.  I would love to see this garden and these dinosaurs at night!

The Rainforest Garden was one of my favorite gardens!

The boardwalk across the lake gave us a great opportunity to see lily pads and flowers close up.  

Just look at the size of the lily pad!  Amazing, isn't it?

I absolutely loved this plaque.  I could put this in my own garden, only change the name to Amy, because I feel exactly the same way!

Alethea sure loved running on the boardwalk!

I hope you enjoyed my little tour of the outside grounds of The Creation Museum.  Be sure to come back next week to see what is inside!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

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A Quick "Colorful Blessings" Card

Just popping in today to show one of my "Colorful Blessings" cards.  "Colorful Blessings" are card fronts that you can buy on Amazon.  All you have to deal is color them in and adhere them to a card base.  You can read more about them HERE!  I absolutely LOVE them.  They not only make quick and easy cards, but they are very therapeutic to color.

 Whenever I get stressed out I love to color in one of my "Colorful Blessings" card fronts.  Many have Bible verses, like this one, and I work to memorize it while I color.  

I almost always use gel pens to color my card fronts.  This one I adhered to a pink card stock panel before I adhered it to a card base.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

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February Stylish Monday - Date Night at Home

February is the month of LOVE so the ladies of Stylish Monday decided to show our date night outfits!  Only, in the age of Covid and lockdowns, we added a Valentine twist to show what we would wear on a date night at home!

Now my husband and I will be going out for Valentine's Day this year since it falls on a weekend, but there have been many years when the big day fell on a weeknight and we celebrated at home.  Whenever we have a date night at home, I usually do my hair and make up for him, and wear something cozy, yet sexy.

For this challenge, I chose to wear a romantic floral kimono that was actually a gift from my husband.  I paired it with a floral camisole that is so perfectly matched one would think it came with the kimono, but it did not.  I wore soft, cozy joggers from Amazon, and added jewelry and heels for more pizzazz.

A typical at home date night for us would involve a nice meal, and sitting by our wood stove enjoying each other's company.

Since there was so much color going on in the kimono and tank, I kept the jewelry simple by wearing all black jewelry.  It's hard to tell in the photos, but the tank is sequined so I didn't need much more glitz and glam at all with jewelry.

The kimono is sheer and almost knee length.

And now let's see what the other ladies are wearing, and be sure to link up your outfits at the end of the post.

Shelbee

 Shelbee on the Edge - This date night at home theme was announced just before my scheduled date night at home for our 11th wedding anniversary. While I had plans to dress up a bit for our special night, my hormones decided otherwise and slammed me with debilitating cramps all night long. And so I ended up spending our date night in my coziest things curled up on the couch! But if I had been able to dress up, I would have worn this comfy black velvet pant suit that is a recent thrift shop acquisition. I love the elastic waistband and wide legs of the pants making them feel more like pajamas than dress pants. I layered a cowl neck sweater under the velvet cardigan and slipped my cold tootsies into some furry line rose gold mules. A simple tassel necklace and earrings in gold and rose gold completed my look. All set for date night 2021-style!

Nancy

Nancy’s Fashion Style - “For  A date night at home, I let Gerben choose his favorite outfit on me!

Can it be anymore boring? In my eyes, I don't even like black and white together. And although he said that I have a lot of beautiful dresses, he likes a black pencil skirt, a simple white blouse and classic pumps. A few simple golden jewelry and, and that is what he likes the most of course.....my black stockings! Oh men.....”

                                                                                 Nina

 Sharing a Journey - Wondering what to do for Valentines Day this year?  I’ve got you covered with a two part series!  Last Friday I created a whole post about what to do for Valentines Day 2021 and today I’m sharing some great outfits to go with a variety of possible dates!

Suzanne

Ask Suzanne Bell - Like many moms, I don’t remember the last time I went out on Valentines Day with just my husband. But, that doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate with a bottle of wine and usually steamed mussels for the 4 of us, and of course a yummy dessert! Jennafer Grace makes the most beautiful, old Hollywood style comfortable pieces  - like this 2-piece shimmer set - perfect for lounging in style at home. Today I’m sharing how I style a few of my Jennafer Grace favorites along with a recipe for my favorite cocktail..Cheers!

Andrea

 Pearls and Pantsuits - “The hubs and I enjoy date nights at home every Sunday night, and they rock for me, because he usually does all the cooking! He also mixes up one heck of a cocktail. I found this beautiful rose top at Target, and styled it with my favorite jeans and booties, added my Mom’s pearl necklace and felt super fancy! Pop on over for all the deets on my outfit, and that cocktail recipe you are NOT going to want to miss!”

Julie

  Fashion Trends and Friends -  Mr. FTF and I are pretty boring when it comes to at home dates.  We like keeping it simple.  For us a good time date night at home includes:  carryout (I don’t cook!), Netflix, maybe a bowl of popcorn or some type of desert and LAUGHS always lots of laughs!  I’m usually dressed super casual - think sweatshirts and sweatpants (I do have the cutest Valentine’s set!)!  However since it is the week of LOVE, I’m sharing all of my Valentine’s looks - many can actually be worn year round.  By the way, we love to go out and do so at least once a week.  Illinois is back open for indoor dining so we have reservations at our favorite restaurant for Valentine’s Day!  Hope you feel all the LOVE this week and have many reasons to LOVE BIG!

Michele

On Instagram as Seechele_styles "Wore this thrifted blue and white heart sweater to date night last weekend paired with my vintage Levi’s jeans and pop of red hand bag  and fun sneakers with red shoe laces."

Nicole

 High Latitude Style - “Date night means dancing for us. Then a sleek fit-and-flare dress is a Must. This dress has too much cleavage for my taste, but works well for layering with a halftee underneath. In Interior Alaska, date night can also be early in the morning. In winter,  it’s dark until late in the morning (only 3.5 h of daylight at winter solstice. In summer, there is daylight 24/7 for 84 days. More on Alaska lifestyle on the blog.

Emma

 The Style Splash - "We don't usually go out for Valentine's Day - and we certainly won't be this year - but I welcome the excuse to wear red! The rainbow striped sweater with the word "amour" on it (French for love, of course) seems very appropriate."

                                                                                   Gwen

Gwen Lives Well and Instagram - GwenLivesWell - I don't know about you, but I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've actually been out on Valentine's Eve. I mean, yes, when I was in my twenties with no kids, maybe I might have ventured out, but more often than not, home is where I wanted to be. Why deal with busy restaurants, cold food, harried servers when you can have a romantic Valentine's date night at home? Sharing some suggestions for fab date nights at home, whether it’s Valentine’s Eve or not!

And Me!

Amy’s Creative Pursuits - .   A date night outfit to wear at home has to be comfortable and cozy, yet pretty and romantic at the same time.  This black floral kimono was a gift to me from my husband.  I love to wear it on our home date nights with a romantic camisole.  I completed the “Comfy  & Cozy” requirement with a pair of soft joggers.

Have A Great Day! Amy

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