Insta What?

I know it's Labor Day, and many people are doing the BBQ thing, or the last 
minute get-my-kids-ready-for-school thing, or the sleep in til noon thing. 
I'll just be over here doing my thing. 

Do you not know what that even means? Oh well. Me neither.

If you didn't know, real life doesn't always make it to the blog.
While yes, I do wear the outfits I post. Life stuff, like friends, family, 
the day-to-day ridiculousness doesn't always make it's way to the 
rambling writings of these interweb pages. 

Sooo...

Here's a peek into the Instagram world that shows more of the daily things about me!

Follow at @patternedlove

Insta 1: At the Meat Market! {Gotta get that bacon!}
Insta 2: Thrifting like a crazy person {You know it!}
Insta 3: Reading the Word {Getting that truth!}
Insta 4: Weekend! {Nothing like Narnia in the morning.}
Insta 5: Salted Caramel {Need I say More?}
Insta 6: Morning Read {Kickstarting the day!}
Insta 7: Selfie {Rare find in my camera roll.}
Insta 8: Afternoon Coffee {Can I get a woot woot}
Insta 9: Dutch Bros {Freebie from the fab staff.}
Insta 10: Adventures {Yes, gravy, cheese, and fries!}

2Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Getting Bright in Here

 

The fun things about this outfit:

1. Dress - Target

2. Shoes - Tommy Hilfiger at Ross

3. Gold Bracelet - Thrifted

4. Blue Bracelet - Home Made

5. Necklace - Thrifted

6. Belt - Local Boutique

I'm loving today! All week the sun has been shining and I even started to sweat in my car today... I know that wasn't really a glamorous fact for public sharing, but there it is. I'm not really one to be a faker so if a little perspiration happens it happens.

I realized I hadn't shared links to the books on Heaven that I've been reading. 

So here they are:

In Light of Eternity - Randy Alcorn

Heaven - Randy Alcorn

Heaven for Kids - Randy Alcorn (great for talking to kids about eternity)

Heaven Study Book - Randy Alcorn

Heaven Booklet - Randy Alcorn (only 60 pages)

Job 19:25-27

For I know that my Redeemer lives,

and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

And after my skin has been thus destroyed,

yet in my flesh I shall see God,

whom I shall see for myself,

and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
    My heart faints within me!

I love Wednesdays

The fun things about this outfit:

1. White Jeans - Thrifted & Skinnied

2. Stripe Shirt - Hand-Me-Down

3. Sweater - Thrifted (back when i first became a thrifter)

4. Necklace - Both Thrifted

5. Shoes - Target

6. Bracelets - Both thrifted

I have to say... I love Wednesdays! I start them off with my high school girls at Bible study, 

where we are currently studying Heaven! It's been great conversation. 

I seriously love having these girls in my life!

I pick a couple of the girls up on my way, and I have to say I was pretty proud of my car this morning when they got in. I totally washed my car myself yesterday, which usually I'm to lazy to do and I hit up a drive through. But then I got really motivated, pulled out the shop vac, and went to town vacuuming the floors and seats. This, of course, means I had to clean out the junk that was covering the floors and seats first. Now I have that "Oh YEAH" feeling, when I tell myself I'll never let it get that bad again...

Only time will tell.

But I think it will probably be telling me to clean my car again!

Romans 12:1-2

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies 

as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 

Do not be conformed to this world,^[c] but be transformed by the renewal of 

your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good 

and acceptable and perfect.

That Darn father of Lies

The fun things about this outfit:

1. Cardigan - Hand-Me-Down

2. Belt - Thrifted $1

3. Shoes - Thrifted $2

4. Necklace - Made by Me

5. Pants - H&M

6 Stripe Shirt - Yep, from high school dayz

These are the fun shoes I found a few days back that I fell in love with. Four bucks? Really. Why yes I will buy those! Wait... What? They are half off. Ok, I wont argue!

I spent some good time in the Word this afternoon while sitting in a coffee shop. where else would I be? Actually I sipped on tea and some old fashion H2O today. Trying to kick that last bit of the head cold. But I started jotting down some thoughts as I read and studied because I wanted to share it with you. 

Before I started studying Heaven I had slim to no understanding of the topic. I think "intimidating" is an appropriate word to describe how I felt about it. But really I didn't think of it very often. Not that I've got all the answers now, but I'm excited that it's able to be studied and some questions are actually able to be answered. In fact, I'm learning that if I'm not thinking about Heaven often, it's a problem. I should be excited for eternity and it should be motivating my current life.

I knew that Jesus came to earth to rescue me from the debt my sin has and will rack up against me. I was grateful, overwhelmingly grateful in fact. What I didn't understand was that I was created FOR Jesus. Before I did one thing wrong He loved me. And when I, as all others, did mess up, He still loved (loves) me. What is annoying to me, that I've come to learn, is that I believe lies much to easily. And the enemy, better known to some as devil or satan, is so eager to lie to me and belittle Jesus' love for me. "Are you good enough?" "Are you worth it?" "NO, you're not worth all that love." "You've made one to many mistakes." UHG... That evil guy annoys me so much. I want truth and solid truth at that!

The Bible says that it is inspired by God. It also says that God cannot lie.

Satan is a liar and the father of lies. 

So as I study Heaven and discover amazing things I will be looking to the Bible as confirmation.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, 

for correction, and for training in righteousness,

that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Hebrews 6:17-18

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,

so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

John 8:44

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Home Sick

The fun things about this outfit:

1. Necklace - Hand made by me.

2. Belt - As old as time.

3. Dress - Kohls find a few years ago.

3. T-shirt & Shoes - Target

Well, I've been pretty inconsistent with blogging lately. With last weekend spent at the hospital with my friend and her new baby, and trying to clean my house, and now of all things I have a head cold. You know the kind that feels like your head is swollen to 3 times it's normal size? Yep, that's the one I have. But I still managed to snag some pics before the sneezing, nose blowing, mouth breathing craze hit me.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is 

being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us 

an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things 

that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen 

are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Pretty Green

This is how I think I look while posing.

The fun things about today's outfit:

1. Green Skirt - Thrifted & Refashioned (see below)

2. White Bracelet - Thrifted for $2

3. Scarf - Gift

4. Boots - Thrifted

5. Earrings - Gift

Skirt Before & After:

Well folks, once again this Refashion happened before I started a blog. That means there are minimal instruction photos. But basically I cut the dress in half. I rolled the top down twice to create a "tunnel" to insert some elastic through. You can put a clothes pin through the elastic to make it easier to push through said "tunnel." I promise this is not the last time I'll be doing this sort of DIY so I'll take better photos next time!

On to bigger and better topics!

Let me start by saying that I absolutely love my home church! It's such a wonderful community of people who are seeking Jesus! With that said, I have to shout out to some amazing people. Some friends are particularly supportive of my refashioning, and now, of my new blogging venture. My friend Judie and I joked this morning that I'm addicted to refashioning and reusing thrift and hand me down finds. To which I replied, "If I'm addicted, then you're my dealer." Judie in the past month has given me a box full of fabrics she's not using. (Can I get a Whoot Whoot!) Then to top it off today she gave me 3 beautiful scarfs that I love!!! Judie is amazing at finding under-appreciated, mis-used, antique, or just random pieces of jewelry and creating her own new jewelry out of the old piece. They always turns out beautiful!

Secondly, there's Jennifer. Today she brought me a bag of unwanted clothes from her closet. (Christmas morning much?) As Jennifer told me that she brought this bag of goodies today, she ended with, "There's more to come." And her beautiful and always fashionably dressed teenage daughter said, "I have some for you too." 

Are you guys kidding me? YEAH! Ya gotta love the hand me downs! Love these women!

Today has been wonderful! It's felt laid back and easy. And I spent the afternoon, once again, in a coffee shop getting to know a new friend. We discussed work, life, and eternity (topic of daily growing interest, but more on that later this week). 

James 1:22

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourself.