Thursday, September 13, 2018

Creator Spotlight | Bekah From Questionable Tortoise Couture

I mean just look at that name. You know this person has to be interesting. Today we're doing another interview this time with the wonderful Bekah! Annnnnd it's an interview swap so when you're done here make sure to check out her blog to see my answers to her questions. Alright, let's get started!
What is your name and what does it mean? If you're named after someone who is it and what does that person mean to you?

Everyone calls me Bekah, but my actual name is Rebekah. I am not named after anyone in particular.
My mother found my name in the Bible and decided to name me that. :)

Cool! What is your blog name and what does it mean? How did you come up with up?

My blog name is Questionable Tortoise Couture. People are oftentimes confused by the name. What's
the meaning? Was this girl on crack when she came up with it? The story behind my blog name is that I
had a dream that I went to a store called "Questionable Tortoise Couture", and that's how I chose my
blog name. Simple as that.

Haha that's so cool. I was also a bit confused with the name at first. How do you spend an average day?

I spend an average day doing schoolwork, blogging, and taking ballet. Pretty simple.


Cool! Fun fact I've always wanted to take a dance class but so far I haven't. What are your favorite hobbies?

Blogging, dancing ballet, crafting. As you can probably tell by now, I'm BORINGGGG.

That sounds pretty cool to me but ok. What is your favorite thing about me? I want to know ok do not judge me haha.

DAT HAIR THO. No, seriously. You have such a sweet personality. You are so accepting and inclusive, and
I think that's a fantastic quality to have. Oh, and your hair really is DA BOMB. ;)

THANK YOU I LOVE MY HAIR TOO. No haha, thanks so much girly. :) How do you come up with blog posts and how do you usually go about writing one?

"Oh, crap. It's Monday again?
*scrambles to create blog post*
And that's how it happens.

I usually just draw from life and experiences for my blog posts. I'm a deep thinker, and I think that has
been really helpful when it comes to writing blog them. :)

Cool! What does your blog mean to you and why would you say you blog?

My blog has become a big part of who I am, and it means the world to me. Blogging gives this
introverted little girl a place to express her thoughts, and for that, I am forever grateful. I would say the
reason why I blog is to create an inclusive and happy place on the internet. We live in a broken world.
There aren't many places on the web where we can express ourselves and be who we are without being
ridiculed for some reason. I want to radiate positive vibes through my blog.


Awww I love that! And I totally relate! If you could hang out/meet any living person for an hour who would it be?

Wow, that's so tough. I would probably say my closest internet friends, or probably someone like Misty
Copeland.

Oh my gosh I would love to be able to meet my internet friends!! That would be so crazy cool. If you had to choose a career now what would it be?

Professional ballet dancer! As much as I adore blogging, ballet is my first love.

That's really cool! What do you see happening with your blog in the next year? What do you want to happen?

I would love to continue to grow my viewers, interview more peeps, and collaborate with more brands. :D

Anything else you would like to share?

No, I think that's all! :p


Once again make sure to check out Bekah and her blog! If you want to be featured or do any other kind of collab feel free to email me at nabilaeve@gmail.com. Feel free to answer those questions down below! 


Monday, September 10, 2018

Looking Back On My 2018 Summer Bucket List


Summer is officially ending on September 22nd and it's kind of blowing my mind??? I have already started school and it's in full swing but that doesn't mean my mind isn't still in summer mode. You might remember at the beginning of the summer I posted this post with my summer bucket list. More recently I posted this looking back on my goals for the year. Today I'll be doing a combination of those and looking back on my summer bucket list!
1. Go hiking at least once

Yes actually! When I was with my grandparents we didn't necessarily go hiking but we did do some pretty long walks in a woodsy area so I would say it counts.  

2. Invite friends over frequently

Yep yep yep! I haven't just been stuck in a hole all summer and I'm pretty happy about it. I was literally gone for a month but other than that I saw friends like every couple of days at least. 

3.  Eat healthily

I would say half. When I was at my grandparents I literally at ice cream every day. Not the healthiest. Buttttttt I have been more mindful of what I eat and I've been trying to always choose the healthy option. 

4. Post every/every other Saturday on my youtube channel

Yessssss!!  I missed one week but other than that I consistently posted every week on my youtube channel! I don't have the best videos ever but I still really like youtube and I hope I can keep doing it. :) 

5. Post either every day/every other day on Instagram

I've been posting about every other day except for that week I literally didn't have internet. I think my current posting schedule is good for me and it's not an overload like I think posting every day was for some people. 

6. Make the most out of/have fun at the camps I'm going too

I would say yeah. The engineering camp I went to was quite fun! We got to program a robot and learn to code and I got to interact with college students which is always fun. The algebra camp was, of course, less fun and really just like school but I did get to see friends which was nice. 

7. Commit to Girl Boss Teen Tribe

Not really. We said we would do a newsletter we didn't really do. And I said I would write more posts and I did write one but it hasn't been published and honestly I don't know what's going on. I have started working on the insta page though so I'm giving myself half. 

8. Decide what to do with this blog

Yeah nope. I said I would decide if I should switch to Wordpress or get my new domain and I just haven't. For now, though I'm good with this. 

9. Do at least 5 collabs

Yep, yep, yep!! Been doing quite a bit of collabs this summer actually! Speaking of collabs I'm doing a month of collabs in November for my blogiversary. If anyone wants to join please email me at nabilaeve@gmail.com. 

10. Say yes and be present

Half. I have been saying yes to more things but I think that's mostly because I had so much screen time and so I'm not always looking for a way online because I was content with what I had. 

What were some of your goals for the summer? Did you accomplish them? 


Friday, September 7, 2018

Who Are You? With Julia Plus Giveaway!!

An extra post for y'all this week! A super fun guest post so get excited. :)

   

So there we were, sitting at a table in the white and orange building of Whataburger.  People bustled past to their tables and orders were brought out on black trays packed with fries.  The air was filled with the delicious smell of good ole unhealthy fast-food. Our stomachs growled as we attempted, failing miserably, to wait patiently for our food.  At the next table over, a conversation not meant to be conversing in public pulled our attention to it, making us momentarily forget our appetites. A mom sat with her young son, who was. . . crying, quite unashamedly.  It was weird. They were having an argument about him getting his haircut, and they certainly weren’t debating it quietly.
“Why do you even want long hair?” the mom asked with evident frustration.  More droplets of salty water rushed from his eyes.
“I just want to be somebody!” he wailed.  
The end.

Aren’t I so good at this storytelling stuff?  
But that was a true story, well, at least the main part of it was true.  Now there must always be a reason for a story, or more specifically, a point.  
The point of this story?
Don’t argue with your mom about haircuts in public.

Oh, also, don’t cry in Whataburger - the poor workers may think it’s something they did, or the cooks may quit because they think they can’t even assemble a tiny hamburger right.  Or the people sitting near you might think you're weird and never forget you, not even eight something years later.

Fortunately for me and my future with stories that have points, those are not the only points of the story, unfortunately for you, those are not the only points of the story.
So yes, there is another point.  

In this present day and age, we as a society have a problem.  Our young people face a dilemma of not knowing “who they are”.  I’m not talking about them not knowing their names, or what family they belong in, I’m talking about them as individuals.  
They don’t know who they are inside, they don’t know where they fit in this life, they don’t even know their purpose of existing.  
This leads to many things, some fall prey to thoughts of worthlessness, some put on an act and go along with their friends and the world - like the boy, who wanted long hair because he wanted to be somebody.
Why did he think that would make him important?  Why did he think that would make him “somebody”?
Probably because the people at school had long hair, maybe someone he looked up to.  And so he thinks that if he looks and acts like those people who seem to “matter” that he will “matter” too.

There are a lot of people out there like this, people who are confused, who don’t think they’re worth anything, who think they’re nobodies.  
And maybe you are one of those people.  



You are Special:
Despite popular belief, you are not a random and purposeless accident of the universe.
You have been created by the great God of Heaven and Earth -- designed by His own hands!   He spoke into existence every creature and everything in existence and yet. . . . He didn’t just speak you into existence, he took the time to mold you:


You are created in the image of God!  And you think yourself not special?


You are created in the image of God!  And you think yourself not special?
God formed you, He made you!   And He made you special. Boys, you don’t need to have long hair, and girls you don’t need to slap on a bunch of makeup or get piercings or tattoos,  just so that you are “somebody”. You have been designed by the great I AM !!!!!!! How awesome is that?
Seriously awesome you guys.


You Are Somebody:
Maybe you feel like you're a nobody, maybe you feel like you don’t matter.  
So let me ask you, if we were in the day and age where a King ruled over us, and the King took notice of you, who happened to be a lowly peasant, and even made a point to know your NAME and not just your name, but everything about you, your likes, dislikes.  Wouldn’t you feel quite important? I should think so! I mean, I at least would be liable to get a big head.

Well, the KING of Kings, Someone WAY bigger and more important than mere earthly Kings knows your name, He knows your likes and dislikes, He knows everything about you - even down to the very number of hairs on your head!  Now THAT is something to get a big head over.
*Quickly checks head size*  




You Are Valuable:
If knowing that God not only made you and that He knows all about you somehow doesn’t make you feel like royalty. . . For those of you who still feel worthless, let me tell you are not worthless, in fact,



We didn't deserve it - you didn't deserve it, but He loved us so much - He loved YOU so much, that Jesus died in your place.  
God cared about you so much, He was willing to give up everything for you.
For YOU!
What’s your value?  - God’s only begotten Son, who is holy and righteous and above all else died for YOU.  For your life. Because God loved you so much, He deemed you worth the life of His only Son.  

You Have Purpose:
Since you aren’t a random, purposeless accident of the universe, you have a purpose.  A reason you are here. The Bible says



You have been made to bring glory to God, to serve Him, to be lights in this dark world.  You have a purpose - and that is to glorify our Savior and Creator.

Who are You?
So who are you?  
If you are saved if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and believe that He died and rose again for your sins.  Then you are not only a forgiven sinner. You are something else as well.

You will never find contentment and fulfillment if you seek your identity in this world.  If you base your value off of the world’s standards you will always come away disappointed and empty.  
The thing is, the world doesn’t matter!  
The world’s opinion does not matter, but God’s does, He’s the One who gave up everything for you:
He’s the one who made you, He’s the one who cares enough to know all about you, He’s the one who gives you purpose.

“But” says you and everyone else peeking over your shoulder (don’t bother looking, you’ll probably never see people actually looking over your shoulder, but trust me, you turn your back and anyone in your house is going to find some excuse to get behind you and pretend they’re not peeking over your shoulder) so y’all say,
 “it’s all great and everything to say I’m special and loved and have a purpose, but what does that help with knowing who I am?”

Never fear my friend! (or do, do fear because your family is frighteningly good at sneaking peeks at your screen without you finding out).  Remember I said you were something other than just a sinner saved by grace?
Guess what that something is!  
Oh fine, here’s a verse to help you out:


You have been adopted into the family of the Great I AM!  You are adopted into royalty! You are a daughter or son of the KING of Kings!  
That’s truly mind-blowing.

And you know that popular song, “Who Am I”?  In the song, it says these words: “And you’ve told me who I am .  . . I am Yours.”


Friend, that is who you are.  You are HIS. HIS child. You are a child of the KING.  

Who am I?  I am a sinner saved by grace, one of the redeemed, I am a daughter of the One True KING.  That is who I am, I choose to find my identity in Christ. Not the world, not in friends, I am God’s child.  That is who I am.

Now, who will you decide to be?  In who will you find your identity? God or man?

Who are You?

Meet the Writer: Julia S.


Julia is a 15-year-old born again Christian who believes it if the Bible says it it’s true, and a Bookworm who knows that words have the power to change the world. She juggles her small business, writing, and college while living on a farm in Texas with her parents, seven siblings and a ton of animals
Her goal in all that she does is to bring glory to God and to live a life lit aflame for Christ.  She hopes to encourage others to do the same.

Blog: Lit Aflame
Instagram: @litaflame

Celebrate the Launch of my Blog with me!

Hiya!  This week we’ve been celebrating the launch of Lit Aflame, my new blog.  There’s even a giveaway! So don’t miss out! Today is the LAST day for the GIVEAWAY, so HURRY!

Click below for the giveaway - LAST DAY to enter:


Check out the other blog stops around the blogosphere!  You don’t want to miss out on these posts! :

Sunday:

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

Saturday:



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