Thursday, January 31, 2013

Stephanie's Gift

My sister is a very talented artist, and is blossoming every day with greater skill! She (along with all my younger siblings) adore the My Little Pony cartoon. Stephanie designed her own original character based on the cartoon. She named her Ruby Glitz and has drawn many pictures of her character.

I knew about artists and seamstresses who could take drawings and turn them into an actual plushie, after a few months of research I contacted an artist named Jaime Diffee and commissioned a plushie. These beautiful handmade plushies can be expensive, but my parents and husband kindly chipped in!

Stephanie opening her gift!

Kitty was a tiny bit jealous- I had to remind her it was Stephie's birthday! She said "But my birthday is SO FAR AWAY!!" (it's in May) lol

Stephanie was very excited about the plushie!

Sister love!!!

More sisterly love!

Jaime also sent this drawing for my sister!

************************************************************************

I was very pleased with Jaime Diffee's work on the Plushie.

I have seen many artists charge far too much for a poorly made plushie- however Jaime made my sister's beautiful plushie for under $100. I will also add that these Plushies are not suitable for children under 12, simply due to watching my siblings "love" cheaper store bought plushies to death!

Jaime does more than just create plushies!

If you would like to contact her about an art or sewing commission you can email her at

heyletscommunicate@gmail.com

Or visit her Tumblr to see photos at

My Little Plushies

God bless,

~Rebecca

Stephanie and Justin's Birthdays!

Both my sister and my husband share the same date of birth, 10 years apart! So we celebrate them together! On the 24th of January- Stephanie turned 14 and Justin turned 24!

My mom made this AMAZING Cheese cake-New York style! It was heavenly!

Stephie blew out her candles....

Then we re-lit them for Justin!

Anxious for cake!!

We opened gifts, then had the cheesecake! Stephanie received a Bamboo Fun (digital drawing pad). The gift we ordered for her hadn't arrived yet.

Collin "borowed" my camera...

After the cake my mom showed my grandparents a Bored Shorts TV video.

This is the episode they watched- one of my mother's favorites

So that was Stephie and Justin's Birthday party!!

God Bless

~Rebcca

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Little Pink Roses

The past month has been a rough one for me, dealing with all these doctor visits and tests and so on. Plus I am dealing with other personal struggles so I have been worn out. And on top of that I am having a hard time getting to sleep before 3am, even with melatonin.

The other night things just overwhelmed me and I was feeling so very discouraged! I just wanted to sleep!

Yesterday Justin showed up from work with these beautiful pink roses and "fancy" chocolate.

The roses are currently sitting on a bookcase, like little pink smiles of hope.

They mean the world to me, and I cannot ever fully express how thankful I am for a husband who takes the time to give me flowers. He is a very special guy.

So even though last night was the same "can't sleep" problems, at least I had those pink roses waiting for me when I finally did get to sleep and woke this morning.

God bless,

~Rebecca

Friday, January 25, 2013

No More Dryer Sheets!

If you have been reading my blog since I was originally writing at A Rather Unusual Maiden for God, you might recall that I have various skin allergies.

I have had reactions to soaps, make-up, certain metals and so on.

Some reactions included a fever!

After a visit to my doctor today she is 75% sure I am also allergic to fabric softeners and dryer sheets, and that it was causing the skin irritation I was dealing with. So- NO MORE using dryer sheets or fabric softeners when we do laundry!

Justin however is not convinced that our clothes will be clean without dryer sheets.... and "They won't smell nice or be soft!" I am pretty sure they will be, as my mom rarely used dryer sheets for years, and our laundry was fine. Poor guy. This will take getting used to.

Although it doesn't matter as our dryer currently is broken, at least we have a sturdy drying rack!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

My New Project!!

Before The Veil

I am pleased to announce that my new project has officially launched!

Before the Veil is a blog for any young lady who has started looking for the right guy up to the newlywed years. There are resources and sections for those who are single, currently in a relationship, engaged, soon to be married and newlywed. There are also weekly blog updates and resources for wedding planning.

Before the Veil is a project I have been working on for almost a year now, a project I have lost sleep over, cried over, and spent countless days researching and writing for.

I have drawn from my own experiences and from the testimonies of others. I even have a section on modest wedding gowns! (I spent 7 MONTHS looking for one simply because I didn't know where to look)

The blog will be updated once a week, and the resources will be expanded and revised as time goes on.

Before the Veil also features a Pinterest button, so if you like an article you can save it to your boards! There are also Facebook, Twitter and G-Mail buttons if you wish to share a post.

So here it is! Click this link to visit Before the Veil

Enjoy!

God bless,

~Rebecca

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Good Enough?

After my weight post, I was a little overwhelmed with how positive and encouraging the comments were.

It is good to know I am not alone in these struggles.

I feel it is time to discuss something else I struggle with- in my mind.

Due to my health problems and my ankle injury occurring so closely after my wedding day, I would be weighed down with sadness. Here I am a newly wed wife and my husband has to take care of so many things because I was laid up with an injury/sick.

Being a new wife and being somewhat helpless was such a burden to carry- and one I am still dealing with.

When we were courting I was so excited about the chance to take care of my own little home and my own husband to care for. To have these opportunities taken away was hard to deal with.

So often my sadness takes over and I just feel worthless, and not good enough to be a wife.

That's when Justin will hold me close, let me cry and tell me that he didn't marry me to clean the house. He married me to be with me, and that I was good enough.

The other day I was online and I stumbled upon this picture...

(source)

Justin saw it over my shoulder and gave me a hug and said, "See dear? You ARE good enough"
This picture still makes me tear up because it is just a part of reminding myself that I have a good man. And that I don't have to be able to clean the house perfectly, or cook perfectly, or look perfectly to be "good enough" for my husband. It reminds me that Justin loves me regardless of my weight/appearance. It reminds me of the nights he just holds me close while I cry and he tells me I am good enough.

I just wanted to share this with my readers, and I hope someone is encouraged by this.

And to any young ladies out there who haven't found "Mr. Right" yet- I just want to say that the man you are supposed to be with WILL believe that you are good enough. He will encourage you to improve and keep growing, but he will first and foremost love you regardless of your height, weight, whether your face is clear or not. Because you ARE more than your appearance. You are You!

God bless,
~Rebecca

Monday, January 14, 2013

Sneak Peek at Upcoming Project

This is a sneak peek at a project I am currently working on. : )

I also should add that I designed the banner above and the flower is my own photography.

Now I want to ask you all a favor!

As part of my project I need your thoughts!

Leave a comment on what Love means to you!

This project will be released before the end of January.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

A big thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement regarding my last health update!

So I found this online and I had to share this picture because for me it rings true and I laughed!

so true.

I could add....and not feeling sick, suffering from headaches, sleeping like the dead....

Anyways, small pet-related and other random news now!

Zoey is almost a year old now, she just went through her first molt and Momma has had to give her at least 5 baths because she has been so sad looking!

Look at all those clean feathers!!!!

In other budgie news, our new parakeets have been officially named!

Charlie is the white one, and Daisy is the yellow one. We have had Daisy escape her cage several times and fly into EVERYTHING so for their safety and to prevent broken wings or worse, a broken neck- we clipped their wings. Charlie was an angel during the whole thing but Daisy was NOT happy!

I also received an early birthday gift from Justin! I have been wanting to collect these knight figures for YEARS and he surprised me with a Knight set!! I am so excited and can't wait to watch the collection grow!

You probably noticed the two fish bowls behind the knights. Well we have had only two Bettas since the fiasco in November when I lost four in two months. We almost lost Ty-Lee (the pink one) a few weeks back. His scales went from rose pink to a pale gray. I thought for sure we were going to lose him.

However after two weeks of medication he is back to rose pink and as frisky as ever! Phew!

I am thankful that he has recovered!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Health Update

I haven't done a health update in a while so I thought I should do one!

My ankle is doing fairly well. I was diagnosed with tendinitis. Since Physical therapy I can stand for a while now before it starts to hurt. I still wear my brace when we go out just because I am paranoid about hurting it again. I re-twisted it twice between last October to June and I had strained it a few times. Now that my ankle is feeling better I certainly don't want to injure it again!

I finally have an answer to my other health problems, (frequent headaches, fatigue, weight gain etc) I have been diagnosed with a severe hormonal imbalance (PCOS). Long story short this can complicate getting pregnant, but as I am currently not in a rush to have kids it is considerably less upsetting news than if I was.

This situation is treatable although it will take about a year to treat. The good news is that this treatment will not only correct the problem but also help me lose weight!!

Even though I am excited about this, it is still very nerve wracking to me though as I have tried to lose weight several times and I would be doing great for a few months and then have 2-3 weeks of not losing even one pound. I would lose 20 pounds and then no matter what I couldn't seem to get past it. So, I would give up.

I haven't discussed my weight much on here much as honestly I am embarrassed by it. But knowing that this time might be different if I try to lose weight is kind of encouraging. I am hoping that this time will be more successful! I don't know yet what route I will take to lose this weight. I have considered Weight Watchers as I know people who did great on that program.

So that is my health update.
I still have many doctor appointments and tests still, and it can get confusing and overwhelming at times!

Thankyou all for your encouragement and prayers!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Mission Impossible

Three of my favorite musicians have FINALLY collaborated to make this video, "Mission Impossible"

with the amazing talents of John Schmidt, Steven Sharp Nelson and Lindsey Stirling.

Enjoy!!

God bless,

~Rebecca

Monday, January 7, 2013

Tips to Prevent Acne

I have seen this floating around Pinterest but it was always incomplete or had no links to follow, so after doing some in depth searching on the inter-webs I located the full list and posted it here! I have put this on Pinterest as well.

the-absolute-best-posts:

jeremii
What is your acne telling you?
1 & 2: Digestive System — Eat less processed or junk food, reduce the amount of fat in your diet, step up water intake and opt for cooling things like cucumbers.
3: Liver — Cut out the alcohol, greasy food and dairy. This is the zone where food allergies also show up first, so take a look at your ingredients. Besides all this, do 30 minutes of light exercise every day and get adequate sleep so your liver can rest.
4 & 5: Kidneys — Anything around the eyes (including dark circles) point to dehydration. Drink up!
6: Heart — Check your blood pressure (mine was slightly high) and Vitamin B levels. Decrease the intake of spicy or pungent food, cut down on meat and get more fresh air. Besides this, look into ways to lower cholesterol, like replacing “bad fats” with “good fats” such as Omegas 3 and 6 found in nuts, avocados, fish and flax seed. Also, since this area is chock-full of dilated pores, check that your makeup is not past its expiry date or is skin-clogging.
7 & 8: Kidneys — Again, drink up! And cut down on aerated drinks, coffee and alcohol as these will cause further dehydration.
Zone 9 & 10: Respiratory system — Do you smoke? Have allergies? This is your problem area for both. If neither of these is the issue, don’t let your body overheat, eat more cooling foods, cut down on sugar and get more fresh air. Also keep the body more alkaline by avoiding foods that make the body acidic (meat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, sugar) and adding more alkalizing foods like green veggies and wheatgrass juice. Another thing that most of forget – dirty cell phones and pillow cases are two of the top acne culprits and this area is what they affect the most!
Zone 11 & 12: Hormones — This is the signature zone for stress and hormonal changes. And while both are sometimes unavoidable, you can decrease their effect by getting adequate sleep, drinking enough water, eating leafy veggies and keeping skin scrupulously clean. Another interesting point: breakouts in this area indicate when you are ovulating (and on which side).
Zone 13: Stomach — Step up the fibre intake, reduce the toxin overload and drink herbal teas to help with digestion.
14: Illness — Zits here can be a sign that your body is fighting bacteria to avoid illness. Give it a break, take a yoga class, take a nap, take time to breathe deeply, drink plenty of water and know that everything always works out!
So the next time you break out or notice dark under-eye circles, look to your face map: your skin is probably trying to communicate on behalf of the internal organs. However, do remember that, as with all medical issues, it is always best to see your doctor or dermotologist for a proper prognosis. This is just a general guide to head you off in the right investigative direction – just becuase you break out between the brows doesn’t always mean you have a bad liver!
bless this post
This is a great blog to follow, seriously

What is your acne telling you?

1 & 2: Digestive System

— Eat less processed or junk food, reduce the amount of fat in your diet, step up water intake and opt for cooling things like cucumbers.

3: Liver

— Cut out the alcohol, greasy food and dairy. This is the zone where food allergies also show up first, so take a look at your ingredients. Besides all this, do 30 minutes of light exercise every day and get adequate sleep so your liver can rest.

4 & 5: Kidneys

— Anything around the eyes (including dark circles) point to dehydration. Drink up!

6: Heart

— Check your blood pressure (mine was slightly high) and Vitamin B levels. Decrease the intake of spicy or pungent food, cut down on meat and get more fresh air. Besides this, look into ways to lower cholesterol, like replacing “bad fats” with “good fats” such as Omegas 3 and 6 found in nuts, avocados, fish and flax seed. Also, since this area is chock-full of dilated pores, check that your makeup is not past its expiry date or is skin-clogging.

7 & 8: Kidneys

— Again, drink up! And cut down on aerated drinks, coffee and alcohol as these will cause further dehydration.

Zone 9 & 10: Respiratory system

— Do you smoke? Have allergies? This is your problem area for both. If neither of these is the issue, don’t let your body overheat, eat more cooling foods, cut down on sugar and get more fresh air. Also keep the body more alkaline by avoiding foods that make the body acidic (meat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, sugar) and adding more alkalizing foods like green veggies and wheatgrass juice. Another thing that most of forget – dirty cell phones and pillow cases are two of the top acne culprits and this area is what they affect the most!

Zone 11 & 12: Hormones

— This is the signature zone for stress and hormonal changes. And while both are sometimes unavoidable, you can decrease their effect by getting adequate sleep, drinking enough water, eating leafy veggies and keeping skin scrupulously clean. Another interesting point: breakouts in this area indicate when you are ovulating (and on which side).

Zone 13: Stomach

— Step up the fiber intake, reduce the toxin overload and drink herbal teas to help with digestion.

14: Illness

— Acne here can be a sign that your body is fighting bacteria to avoid illness. Give it a break, take a yoga class, take a nap, take time to breathe deeply, drink plenty of water and know that everything always works out!

So the next time you break out or notice dark under-eye circles, look to your face map: your skin is probably trying to communicate on behalf of the internal organs. However, do remember that, as with all medical issues, it is always best to see your doctor or dermatologist for a proper prognosis. This is just a general guide to head you off in the right investigative direction – just because you break out between the brows doesn't always mean you have a bad liver!

Sunday, January 6, 2013

New Year's Day!

We spent New Year's Day with my in laws! Happy 2013 everyone! I hope it is a great year for you!

Nimbus and the Christmas village

We exchanged some Christmas gifts, I received some photography equipment and an external hard drive!!!

After opening gifts we watched Up and played a new game

We tried out Pandemic.... sadly the board won!

Oh and Justin dug his old Lambchop puppet out of the attic! :)

We also watched a whole bunch of Kid Snippets videos, which are SO CUTE!

Adults act to kids voices and the result is simply adorable!

These two videos are my favorites!

God bless,
~Rebecca

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Painted Dreams

This is a re-edit of a self portrait I did back in 2010...it's 2am and I couldn't sleep.

So...is this any good???? I can't tell too sleepy.

Goodnight!

God bless,

~Rebecca

Christmas Surprise!

My friends were traveling through our state up north to visit family for Christmas and we were actually able to work out a quick visit together! I have not seen this family since my wedding!!

Haley was one of my bridesmaids, Galina was my Maid of Honor, and Natalia was in charge of the guest signing frame.

My brothers with the boys!

It was so wonderful to see them even though our time together was very short, It was wonderful to just hug them!!! :)

The Little Things

Justin rang the doorbell when he got home from work today, I figured maybe he had groceries and couldn't open the door. I got up to open the door and he was on bended knee with a bouquet of flowers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

♥ I am such a blessed girl!!

No special occasion today, he just wanted to surprise me. :)

I'm loved :D

God bless,

~Rebecca

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Christmas Lunch with Grandma

We had a Christmas lunch with my paternal Grandmother this weekend.

The kids were very excited about the cookies!

My mom and my brother Collin : D

My grandma and my dad

Opening cards from grandma

Afterwards Justin and I played Sorry with my mom and my sisters

Katelyn with her popcorn wrapper hat

It actually snowed while we were at my parents...we had a long ride home to get back home as it is and driving in the snow was kinda scary!

But even though it took 45 minutes longer than the usual time it takes to get home we returned home safe!

God bless,

~Rebecca

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)