May Instagram Round-Up

 May was not a good month here in Wisconsin;  but, is it ever?  We have a few nice sunny 70 degree days, and the rest of the time it's rainy and cold.  It's always a struggle for me to dress for these chilly spring days,  I find it the hardest time of year to dress for;  do you?  Anyway, these were some of my daily outfits:

The is a look I wore to see an opthalmologist.  I recently had the scare of my life causing me six full weeks of sleepless nights and anxiety.  I went to get my annual eye exam to renew my contact lens prescription.  My usual optometrist wasn't available on the day I wanted to schedule the exam, so I went to Walmart instead.  Big Mistake!  The optometrist there told me I was at risk for developing glaucoma.  I tell you, hearing I could possibly be going blind scared me half to death!  I tried not to worry, but of course I did (who wouldn't upon hearing that news?).  But it all ended up for nothing as the Opthamologist that I was referred to said I did not have glaucoma and would never develop glaucoma.  He also said to never go to Walmart for an eye exam again;  believe me, I won't!

I wore this outfit on a rainy, cold day to get my hair done:  leggings, a white slub sweater, black loafers, and a utility jacket.  This utility jacket was one of the first items I ever received from Stitch Fix and I have gotten so much use out of it over the years.

On a day it didn't rain, I was finally able to wear some suede!  On a shopping day, I wore my suede jacket and suede booties with a boho top and pom pom jeans.  The jacket and top are both Stitch Fix pieces.

This look I wore to church.  The top is from Stitch Fix.   I always like to point out my Stitch Fix pieces so you can see how often I wear them and how many years I have them.  I've noticed my pieces from Stitch Fix tend to stay the longest in my closet.  I think it's because I give a lot of thought to which pieces I keep from my box.

I wore this look shopping and out to lunch with my hubby.  The top and blue suede booties are from Stitch Fix.  This utility jacket (also shown in the first picture in this post) is an old one from Dress Barn.  If it's not raining, I like to wear this jacket because it's a bit more fitted than my Stitch Fix one.  The utility jacket from Stitch Fix has a hood, which is why I like to wear it when it's raining.  This one pictured below does not.

We had a 70 degree day last Sunday, so I was finally able to wear one of my maxi dresses to church.  I swear, summer will be over before I get to wear all of my dresses at least once this season. 😠 I wore the jean jacket over the dress in the morning because it was chilly and it is a halter style dress and I didn't want to expose that much skin in church.  But as soon as the service was over, the jacket came off and I soaked up the sun!

The dress is from Stitch Fix.

And finally, here is what I wore to Cedarburg, Wisconsin on Mother's Day weekend.  It was freezing that weekend, so I layered up with my Stitch Fix utility jacket once again.  It was a full day of walking, so I wore some new white Adidas sneakers.  I added a blue and white gauze scarf for extra warmth.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Different Styles Of Bible Journaling

Tuesdays are the days I posts my crafty endeavors.  If I don't have a craft or a handmade card to share, I show my Bible Journaling Pages.  If your new to Bible Journaling and want to learn more about it, see this post HERE!  I use the Inspire Bible which has some pre-printed pages, that I can just color in, but I also venture off and get creative sometimes and create my own pages.

This week I have a variety of different Bible Journaling pages to share.   I have some more diverse examples of all the different ways you can study the Bible through Bible Journaling.

Full Realistic Pictures/Scenes

Many Bible Journalists like to keep things real and actually draw people/scenes into their Bibles that represent what they just read.  For those who can't draw, they may use stamps or trace.  Realistic scenes can help us get a visual of what we just read to put it in perspective.  This scene was already printed in my Bible, so I just colored it in with pencils. I didn't do a very good job of it, it was kinda a difficult scene to color.  

Printed Graphics of Scripture

Most Bible Journalists take one verse out of a page that really speaks to them and builds from that.  I use the Inspire Bible which has a lot of printed graphics.  These graphics highlight one verse on the page.  As I color in the graphic, I try to memorize and focus on that scripture.

I colored this graphic in reds and yellows to emphasize fire.

 Here I used a variety of colors for the backgrounds;  I was initially going for an ombre effect but it didn't work because I should have stuck with one color and used different shades.  But I like how it turned out anyway.

The words in this graphic have a perfect ombre effect:  the top of the letter is a lighter and the bottom a darker color.

 Here I water colored the entire page and then did an ombre effect on the letters.  I drew a box around the verse in the scripture and added a heart around the word "Wholeheartedly".

Create Your Own Graphic Of Scripture

Because I'm not an artist, my favorite way to Bible Journal and also the way I learn the most from my Bible is to create my own graphic of scripture.

On this page I was struck by the verse Deut. 4:29,  so I created my page around that verse as I mediated on it.  I water colored the whole page, highlighting special verses with gel pens.  I then used both my own handwriting plus stickers to create the verse.  The hearts were traced and colored in using die cuts.  I also punched a few hearts out and glued them on the page.

Simple, Pretty Notes

Not every page in your Bible has to be a pretty picture or graphic.  You can also just journal what you're learning in the side margins of your Bible.  I was really struggling trying to understand the story of Balaam when I was reading it.  So I read several Bible commentaries on the subject and then wrote what I learned in the side margins.  Then I took colorful gel pens and went over my notes to separate thoughts and make the page prettier.  I did add one small graphic to highlight the prophecy in this scripture.

Finally,  last week I showed you one of my mistake pages.  I always think it's important to show not just the pages I like, but also pages I don't like because so many people are afraid to start Bible Journaling because they're afraid of making mistakes and ruining their Bible.  I get that!  I was there once myself.  Please don't let that stop you from entering into this wonderful way of studying God's word.  I can guarantee you, you WILL make mistakes.  You WILL create pages you don't like.  But you WILL also LEARN from those mistakes.  Also, many mistakes are fixable with craft paint (it cover EVERYTHING) or stickers!

This page that I showed you last week HERE I did like because I could see the pencil strokes.  I went back and smoothed out the pencil strokes using gamsol and a blending stump.  Even though I'm still not crazy about this page, I like it much better now.

So what about you?  Which way of Bible Journaling is your favorite?  I'd love to hear from you!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

What To Wear For Memorial Day Weekend

With Memorial Day this weekend I thought I would show you some possible Memorial Day outfits.  I've included a wide range of outfits for all sorts of weather and activities!  It was fun to go through all these old photos and see the places I've been and what I wore.  This year we won't be doing anything special for Memorial Day because we are staying home and working on the house.  My husband and I will be laying a concrete driveway together.  PRAY FOR US!  It's hard work!

Chambray Dress

I've had this little chambray dress in my closet for years, and I STILL wear it!  

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Chambray Skirt with White Denim Jacket

Add a red bag or shoes if you want a more patriotic look.

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Linen Red Top with Linen Beige Shorts

If red and white is too patriotic for you, try red and beige/natural.  If you live in a hot climate, linen is a great fabric choice too!

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A  Little White Dress

For a more formal get-together wear a Little White Dress.  Add a pop of red or blue color in your bag, shoes, or jewelry for a more patriotic look.

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Light Blue and White

If navy blue isn't your thing, try a baby blue!

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Red Skirt With a Blue and White Striped Bag

For a very dressy patriotic outfit, try a red skirt with a white top and add a pop of blue with a blue and white striped bag.  Be sure to add a sunhat for sun protection!

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Red Pants

If you live in a cooler climate like I do, pants mights be a better Memorial Day option.  A chambray top with a blue and white tank underneath plus white booties makes the outfit very patriotic.

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Stars and Stripes Forever!

For those of you who want to really honor our veterans, go bold with a star print tee, red shorts, and white accessories.

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Blue and White Striped Dress

If you live in a hot climate, keep cool this Memorial Day in this comfortable jersey tank dress.  The stripes are already here, add some stars with some star jewelry.

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Blue and White Tee with White Shorts

More blue and white stripes in this outfit.  Add a red handbag or wear red sneakers for more patriotism.

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White Knit Jacket Over A Red And White Plaid Top

It's always cold and rainy on Memorial Day in my neck of the woods, so this is the perfect outfit for me!

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Red Top with Blue Jeans and Blue and White Striped Bag

Add a blue and white striped bag to this look, and you have a great patriotic look.

Red Top with White Shorts

Here's the same top as pictured above but with white shorts.  Switch out the shoes, bag, or headband with blue and you've got a great patriotic look for hot weather.

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Red And White Top with Blue Jeans

Here's an outfit I actually wore on one Memorial Day holiday.  What a beautiful day that was!

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Happy Memorial Day Everyone!

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A Visit To Cedarburg Wisconsin

On Mother's Day weekend my husband and I met the kids for a little "staycation" in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.  It was a four hour drive for us, but only two hours for the kids.  Even though it was a cool, cloudy day we had a lot of fun exploring this old village.  I took a ton of pictures, and decided to do two separate posts of our visit to Cedarburg:  a travel post (today's post) and a family/lifestyle post (soon to come!).

This  beautiful mural highlights all the main attractions of this charming town.

The guide at the Visitor Center told us most people come to Cedarburg to visit this old mill, now a building filled with shops, restaurants, and a spot for entertainment.

The mill is located right along the banks of  Cedar Creek.  

We did go inside to explore a little, but it was hard with a little one and a stroller.  The spaces are tight and small, with no elevators, so it's definitely not handicap, elderly, or family friendly.  Hubby was happy to stay on the main level and listen to a local band play, while I quickly ran through the mill to snap pictures.  The main level had gift shops and a restaurant, while the upper floors sold antiques and art work.

The thick plaster and stone walls amazed me.  You could tell how thick they were by how deep the window wells were.

This is a street view of the award winning winery, restaurant, and pottery shop also located on the grounds.

I thought the mannequin on the roof was such a fun idea.

This was a fun place for us to enjoy...I think Alethea especially loved walking through it and seeing all the unique creations.  I can't wait to show you pictures of her exploring this garden.

I thought the skeleton on the tractor was hysterical.

 I absolutely LOVED these metal goats and had to restrain myself from buying one and bringing it home with me.  Isn't this just the cutest display?

The large rooster at the entrance to the potting shed was perhaps the most impressive of all.  Alethea was so excited to see him!

This is a side view of the same potting shed...don't you just love it?

The historic district is made up of limestone cream colored buildings on Washington St.  A lot of them are houses that are now used as businesses.

We didn't go inside many of the businesses because we had a stroller and Alethea, but we sure enjoyed looking at the historic homes and all the amazing architecture.

This is the Stage Coach Inn.  It is currently a  bed and breakfast. It was built in 1853 as a stage coach stop between Milwaukee Wisconsin and Green Bay Wisconsin.  

Of course I was tickled pink to see there was a candy shop named after me!  But would you believe there was also a candy shop named after my daughter?   I kid you not!  I will share pictures and tell you more about our visit to those candy shops in my next post.

There were several nice coffee shops to choose from, but we picked this one...Cedarburg's original coffee shop!  And I'm glad we did as the coffee was delicious and so cute inside!

I think I oohed and ahh'd at ever single old house!  This beautiful home is the largest mansion in Cedarburg. It was built in 1898 for the daughter of the Wittenburg Mill owner.

I love the vintage, 40's glam look of this old theater!

Built in 1908, the current city hall use to be Cedarburg High School.

I think Cedarburg would be a fun place to spend a day when the weather warms up.  I would love to eat outside at one of their charming patio restaurants.

Another cute coffee shop.

They had at least three stunning old churches in town.  I think this one was my favorite!

This church has a pretty side garden and gorgeous views of the river behind it.

This pedestrian bridge and the creek are located right behind the church pictured above.  It was so picturesque!

It's always hard to get a good street view of historic towns, but here you can get an idea of the limestone cream colored buildings in the village.  It's very pretty isn't it?

This is the Cedarburg Mill and considered to be the most iconic building in town.  I must say, it really catches your eye.  It's right across from the Visitor Center so it was one of the first buildings we saw when we entered town.  Built in 1855 some interesting facts are that it's walls are 32 inches thick and five stories high.  It's now a feed and grain store.

The unique red and white building in front of it is "Wadhams Oil and Grease Filling Station".  A Milwaukee based company built around 20 of these "Japanese Tea House" style filling stations in the area in the 1920's.

I hope you enjoyed my tour of Cedarburg Wisconsin!  I'll be back soon with more personal pictures showing how my family and I enjoyed spending our day here!

Have A Great Day! Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!