michelle, emmer & emma

I sometimes marvel at the Lord's timing of everything.

I am glad that on some days, I am unexpectedly surprised by happy strangers that come along my way.

Some people, for whatever reason, aren't comfortable striking up a conversation with someone else. Having to come into close contact, within their circle of space, might make some people feel uncomfortable or simply not open to becoming acquainted with me. Again, there could be a multitude of reasons such as lack of time, having to be somewhere, ill, or feeling insecure. Shoot, I even feel these feelings sometimes, but mostly, i LOVE meeting new people and getting to know someone, remember George Dubbya?

These past two weeks, I've been fortunate to run across a few women who were strangers, but had a twinkle in their eye and kindly smiled at me as I was going to pass them by. For a reason, I drove backwards. I'd like to share my brief encounters with them.

The first woman I met is Michelle. I was at CVS with James, as he needed to fill some prescriptions. As you may know, I am a bargain shopper/couponer, so i had slowly passed by the haircare aisle when I saw yellow clearance stickers screaming for my attention on the shelves of select hair color. I drove into the end of the aisle and Michelle was there checking out the deals too. I saw her shopping cart to the right of her with her huge coupon binder open! I instantly got excited to meet another couponer, though she is more of an extreme, very organized couponer. 

We started talking about that and I shared with her a few couponing/deal sites I visit frequently, including Hip2save.com that she had never heard of. James came back to find me still there chatting away! I mentioned my blog and how i write about my life, including occasional shopping trips or special buys. She went on to say that she had a disability, not one that is visible to the eye. I didn't quite understand what she said about that because she spoke very low, but I do know that she has had lots of medical challenges. She is married with three sons, I believe, one who is autistic. She said she'd like to share my blog site with him to encourage him that even though you may have a disability that you can still be productive, creative and be someone you want to be. That there is still hope.

I then snapped a photo with her and wrote down my email and blog address. She took a pic of me to show her son. After 25 minutes of conversing with her, we had to go. I knew I could chat with her all afternoon if we had the time lol!

The next couple of women I met were Emmer and Emma, a mother-daughter duo I met in my doctor office building's lobby. They were definite women of God. Faith was the hot topic that brought us together.

dear emmer who led prayer

I was entering the lobby and Emmer had a sparkle in her eye that I saw through her over-sized sunglasses. I complimented her glasses, because I love big glasses too! She smiled and said thank you. I ended up easily conversing with her daughter emma too, who sat right across from her. They were waiting for their ride home, just like James and I were.

Emma went on to profess that I was healed. That I could be fully healed, that I just needed to keep my faith and trust in the Lord Jesus, because He can heal! I smiled and agreed showing her my engraved silver ring, "Saved by grace through faith"- Ephesians 2:8-9

She asked if I minded if we prayed together and of course I didn't. She anointed my head with a blessed oil and murmured words of Hebrew. She anointed the hands of Emmer and James.

James and I held grandma Emmer's hand and my right hand held Emma's as she held her mom's hand too. Emmer lead the prayer. After the 'amen', Emmer looked up at James and asked, "are you her [my] husband?"
We chuckled.
"No, I am her friend." 
"Oh, Fred! nice to meet you Fred."
"No, Mom, that's her FRIEND, not Fred. His name is James."
"Oh, well then James, that prayer goes for you too."

Emma went on to tell me that she and her husband are ministers of a small church. We exchanged numbers and I wrote my blog url and email for her too. As their rushed taxi arrived, she said hurriedly out the door, maybe we can have lunch sometime!  

I hope she reads my blog soon because I promised I'd write about our encounter and that Emmer was gonna be on the internet lol.

Have you met any interesting strangers lately?

Roe v. Wade 40th Anniversary Day of Silence

Even though this movement is for a day of silence, i feel the need to explain a bit of my personal beliefs.

Today's post is definitely a sensitive topic, but I am definitely pro-life. I know some of you may not agree, but that's how I feel. 

Honestly, I am uncertain about how I feel about abortion in certain cases such as rape, incest, or if the mother's life is in danger, but I do know and believe that if a woman decides to have an abortion for whatever reason, my heart is with her. My job is not to condemn her, nor would I or do I feel any hate toward her, only compassion & love.


One reason why I am pro-life is because I think, 
"What if my parents knew that I'd be born with a progressive muscle disease? 
Would they still want me? 
Would they still love me, even though I wasn't perfect?" 

If they knew, maybe they would have considered abortion and then if they went through with it, i would never have been here. I'd never be an older sister. I'd never be a friend. I would never be blogging. I wouldn't know you, you wouldn't know me. There would never be a Bee Littlequeen blog.

I just think of all the precious lives that could have been,  that never got a chance to be their full potential.

Plus, I believe that children are a blessing from God.

I am joining Becca of A Humble Bumble   and other bloggers to remember all the children that never got a chance or who never will. For their parents or mum's who made probably the most difficult decision of their lives.



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

Tuesday, January 22nd will mark the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States. Since that tragic day in 1973, over 50 million children have lost their lives to abortion.

Since the legalization of abortion, thousands of life-saving Crisis Pregnancy Centers have sprung up across the country. These centers offer support and care for mothers (and fathers) facing crisis pregnancies. The caring workers and volunteers at the centers help the parents make a good decision for their child, starting with the choice of life.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers also offer post-abortion counseling. If you or someone you know has had an abortion and are in need of counseling, please your local center.

In memory of the 50 million plus children who have lost their lives in the horrible act of abortion since 1973, let's show our support of the Crisis Pregnancy Centers and also observe a blogger day of silence.

<center> <a href=" https://www.heartbeatinternational.org/donate" target="_blank"><img alt="RoevsWadeAnniversaryDayofSilence" src="http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r552/Beccaack/picsforbutton1400x400_zps14b140fc.jpg" /></a></center>

"Heartbeat International currently serves over 1,400 affiliated pregnancy help centers, maternity homes, and non-profit adoption agencies in all 50 states and in 47 countries." source


Thank you for taking a stand for the most innocent of life... the unborn.

sights from today

Happy Monday and Happy MLK day for those of you who get the day off! :)

I've been busy preparing for my BIG birthday party this weekend.
I've been working on my banner and as I type this post, I am burning cd's of my 'party mix playlists'.

While I went out today with James, my neighbors down the street and around the corner were out in their driveaway. I had never seen nor met them before but I did get to today.

They have a girl horse who always hangs out in the backyard. I always see her through the chainlinked fence. Whenever I pass by her from on a walk, I talk to her from afar. Sometimes, she's eating hay and I say, "hi buddy" in a high-pitched baby voice and she just pops her head up in my direction, it's so dang cute.

Well, my neighbor happily offered to bring Tazsha out front to meet me. It was so sweet. Tazsha(hoping I am spelling her name right) is so calm and gentle. I got to feed her a carrot. Her name means "golden crown" in Arabic I think.

It was the highlight of my day to meet her and to pet her.

Also, while we were out at the grocery store, I saw this:

Pray to God

A nice reminder to me that God is everywhere, even in the strange, unknown person that wrote this on the sign. Thanks person.

In less than one hour, I'll be participating in a twitter party hosted by Radiant Cosmetics as well as Kelley from The Grant Life and other fabulous bloggers who are co-hosting. The goal is to bring awareness and hopefully an end to human sex trafficking! If you want to join, we'd love it and it starts at 7pm Arizona time, 8 central time, 9 eastern time. Use hashtag #kissslaverygoodbye and register here at kelley's.

thirty.

As of today monday, I've officially entered into a new dawn, a new decade...the THIRTIES!!

Oh halleluia! awesome! amazing! brilliant! exciting!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME and to all my fellow January babes! :)

I'll keep the post short and simple!

My mom told me that she *almost named me Nicole, but Brittany won! She wished that her newborn daughter would have straight hair because (she, my mom, had super curly hair.). What do you know, I had super straight hair all up until about 3 years ago! SO straight, that my hair wouldn't even hold a perm for more than a couple weeks! CRAZYY!

My brother Alaska's bday is tomorrow was the 15th, and I miss him, so it kinda is a bummer that we can't celebrate our birthdays together as we have ever since we were little kids! Always A & B or B & A together :)

I am *so blessed to be able to be "here" today and live each day that God gives me to become a better person, to be more kind, to enjoy all of the lovelies that he has put in my life and to learn & grow as a person.

I am allllll about celebrating birthdays, not just my own, but everyone i know!! 
So, in honor of my special birthday and it really being a miracle that I've made it this far, thanks be to God, we are going to have a giveaway this week! (i don't usually have this many giveaways going in one month, but that's just how it happened).

Here are the awesome prizes destined to go home with three of you...

prize #1

(book not included) eye pigment in "rapture"

 

 Prize #2

 Prize #3

 

There shall be three winners! 3 is one of my fave numbers! The first person that random.org selects will have their choice of which 1 of 3 prizes they'd like most!

Now, here's a slice of cake for you and you and you! Thanks for celebrating with me! 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

post-birthday

what? two posts in one day!?? hahah..i JUST HAD to share with you all  that it was my birthday on monday, the 14th! I didn't make it to my laptop long enough to publish the post I had all prepared minus the giveaway I was going to put together in celebration of my birthday!

Sooo...here's a brief run down of how my actual birthday went:

10AM: brush my teeth and hurry my makeup
1115: head to lunch w/heide to Rubio's [Delicious]! 
        James was gonna go, but he didnt feel well that morning.:(
12:15: we go shopping at Berean Christian bookstore
1: more shopping at Worldmarket
1:40: sit & chat and drink yummies at Coffee Bean
3: come home, get online to see 80+ people have emailed/facebooked me happy bday! whoa!
3:50: return my mom's phone call
4: phone my grandparents
4:30: brother alaska calls
5: dinner made speciallly for me by Sandy. 
    hamburgers & crinkled cut french fries YUM!
6:20: singing and cake
7: watch Country Strong w/James
9:25PM: go to bed. tired.

special delivery from my sweet  neighbors P & P

the best pic of me w/my eyes closed, makin a wish!

all in between this I was trying to text people back from the early morning and "like" every comment posted on my facebook wall and comment back with at least a thank you:) lol.

Now, you're invited to my little virtual birthday party! Let's meet back here tomorrow for  my original birthday post & giveaway to CeLeBRatE mY bIRtHdaY. Gonna celebrate the rest of this week with ya'll and then next saturday the 26th---partayy with all my family & most of my friends!

wishes & love.

wiw:sophisticated with firmoo glasses

I've been blessed to have good eyesight so far in my life. I do however, have some hearing loss :( i think it's hereditary because my aunt june is partially deaf in one year and i've been having hearing probs in my right ear since i was in high school..no apparent reason?

anyways, it's all the rage now to be sporting fashion glasses, even if they are not prescription glasses. I've finally gotten on trend and have a pair courtesy of Firmoo.com!

Also, right around the time I first was contacted by firmoo, my good friend Paco had just ordered his first pair of red framed-nerdy glasses for free! He was so excited to receive them!

What is Firmoo you may ask? 
Firmoo is an online eyewear store that is becoming quite popular these days. Their website also features a virtual-try-on station so you can visually see how certain glasses will look on your face shape.

There are many different styles and color to choose such as: harry potter-esque , or these classic brown & ivory beauties or maybe these tortoise aviator style glasses are your thing?

Most of the glasses I've seen on their site are pretty affordable ranging from $8 to $56 where most fall in the middle range..not too shabby at all!

Did you know that Firmoo has a FIRST PAIR FREE program? According to their site, new customers can snag their first pair of glasses for Free, just needing to pay shipping! So you can wander over to their site and pick out some fashionable, durable glasses for free! Their prescription glasses are filled with 1.50 index single vision lenses FYI. And if you're not satisfied, you'll be refunded.

Now, let's get chatting about the ones I was sent!!

the pair i chose were unisex and without prescription (as i mentioned above, i've been blessed with good eyesight). 
I really wanted sunglasses but they were out, so these were my 2nd option.

They have a gray frame and black arms. The frame itself is very sleek and has a modern look to it. They are pretty light weight. I definitely wanted to try these out because of how fancy and sophisticated they seemed, plus,the whole wearing kinda nerdy-but-not glasses as a fashion accessory is all in right now. I thought I'd happily give em a try.

glasses: firmoo / shirt: American eagle outfitters/ earrings: along for the ride

Now, I have a really wide head, so i was really hoping that these glasses wouldn't be too tight. I was wrong. 

When i opened the package, i was so dang excited, but tried them on and were a bit tight. The glasses themselves are very strong as they were able to stretch a bit without breaking while I had them on. I felt like I could only wear them for less than an hour before indenting the sides of my face lol. It's not their fault, it's just that I have a really wide face!

Although, when I did have them on, I looked like a more mature, grown-up person, which made me smile because I look like I am 18 and I am really 30 now! hahaha.  I said to myself, 'wow! you look good in glasses!" haha.

Plus, I was so impressed with the quality and standards of this company. The glasses came with their own sturdy sunglass case with a soft, light blue cleaning cloth to clean the lenses!

If you decide to order a pair of prescription glasses or sunglasses or even just fashion glasses and have any questions about shipping or ordering contact firmoo and they'll be happy to assist you!

*product was given in exchange for a review. Opinions and reactions are compeltely, 100% honest and my own.

peach jeans & a cardigan

I am a petite person.
I am an apple shaped woman. 
EVERY. single.time I buy jeans or pants I look for the short length, in addition to other criteria that's not that important right now for storytelling sake.

In fact, some short length jeans measuring at 29inches inseam (did i use that term correctly? I obviously don't sew, but want to learn!) are sometimes a smidge too long for me lol. 

Want to know something I've been doing lately? When I am out in public with James, 6'1 (my friend-partner-in-crime-becoming-famous-on-the-blog) I whisper to him when I see a very petite person, on-the-border of being a little person, I ask, "is that how i would look if i could stand?" lol. 

Anyways, I just did a double whammy last week and bought my first pair of skinny jeans. Found these babies at Jcpenny's for 12 buckaroos AND they are my first pair of colored jeans, EVER! One of the major reasons why I even have been wanting skinnies is to fit in better when i wear my slipper boots because i can't wear shoes and i want to show off the tops of the boots.

here's what i wore (wiw) one day recently:

cardi: target/ shirt:some store in the mall/ undershirt:downeast basics/ earrings: f21/pants: jcp

i was inside so i didnt have my boots. fun times.

Do you have any colored jeans? What color are they? I am considering a mint color too? Or maybe even red!

I will leave you with something to smile about.
I am participating in Marie of Listening rather than speaking's pretty big giveaway! lots of ad space to be had!
you may enter here and don't forget about the giveaway of hair products I have going on now too.

Ladies & Gentlemen! 

The Giveaway is LIVE! :) 

I am extremely proud of this giveaway. It is the largest giveaway that  I have done. I am hoping that everything goes smoothly and everyone will receive positive feedback from this!

Without further or do here is the giveaway! 

Good Luck Everyone! :) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

There will be 11 winners who will each win 2 prizes each! :)

GOODLUCK!

Follicleanse shampoo [review] & giveaway!

When I find some new product or food or anything i like, I have to share the news!

You guys, I am in love with a new shampoo! It's called Follicleanse. I have unfortunately suffered with dandruff & oily hair for most of my earthly years! It's embarrassing and a problem that has had me feeling {very} self conscious, especially since I have dark hair (dandruff can be way more noticeable). 

When I received the opportunity to review Follicleanse clarifying shampoo and No Weight conditioner by Healthyhairplus.com, I was thrilled! This is the perfect match for me! I am almost always willing to try new things to help bring my scalp relief, especially a deep-cleaning-to-the-root-shampoo!

Normally when I wash my hair (which is twice a week), I wash it twice because my hair is so thick and literally sucks up the first initial dollop of shampoo. My hair is SO oily too! Thank God for dry shampoo too lol. Anyways, Follicleanse is probably my new fave anti-dandruff, deep cleaning yet gentle shampoo.

for men & women!

My scalp gets so intensely itchy, i feel like a monkey scratching!  I sometimes think my hormones are out of whack because my hair/scalp is oily yet dry with flakes! Contradictory yes, but GROSS, I know! but it's true!

Follicleanse has a slight herbal scent, definitely not overpowering. Like I mentioned before, after rinsing the first round of washing, the shampoo lathers better the 2nd time around for me. The Follicleanse shampoo feels soothing to my scalp and my hair and head feels really clean too, like ahhh.

Because my hair is so thick and I wash it twice in one sitting, you can see how much shampoo product I've used in two weeks here (the conditioner bottle contains a bit more because I use less conditioner than the shampoo):

8oz bottles each

I should also point out that Follicleanse is paraben free , organic based and has nutrients such as fenugreek to help promote healthy hair. yay!!

Follicleanse shampoo costs $11.99 on HealthyHairplus.com, but the friendly people at Healthy Hair Plus have given discounts just for you, my lovely readers!! If you're interested in trying out this product for yourself or a loved one is, you can use the following:

Use code: haircare at checkout for a 15% Lifetime Discount on all HealthyHairPlus products!

 Use code: fs35 for a 35% discount on purchases of Follicleanse!!

and guess what!? I have more GOOD news for you! There are two sets of Follicleanse Shampoo and No Weight Conditioner up for grabs today on the blog!! So yes, there will be TWO grand winners!! Enter below in the Rafflecopter! Open to U.S. residents only as I will be personally shipping the products! FYI-healthyhairplus.com DOES ship internationally! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway *Products were given in exchange for a review. This post is sponsored by Healthy Hair Plus but opinions, thoughts, reactions are completely,100% honest and my own.

new year, new beginnings

Let's catch up on a few things:

Christmastime was wonderful! Loved seeing most of my family, some friends and enjoyed all the merriment! I had lots of great surprises!!

New years eve turned out to be ok. James saved the day and got back home to ring in 2013 with me at exactly 11:59pm! It was hilarious!! what a great pal he is. I am still hoping, waiting and wishing to spend new years eve with  a boyfriend! Maybe this year that'll happen lol??

12:08 A.M. Jan 1, 2013

Was anyone else shocked that Dan Humphrey was revealed as the soul behind Gossip Girl!? I was like, whoa!? Really?! Ok! hahaha.

I still don't know who won on The Voice. Anyone?

I bought my first pair of skinny jeans and they are my first pair of colored jeans too! Double whammay! They are a peach color. $12 find courtesy of JCP. Maybe i'll post a WIW this week?

I am SOO excited for the new year! In fact, new years eve is one of my most favorite holidays! Just the beginning of a new year means to be re-starting, refreshing, reinventing...looking forward to another year of the good life!

This particular January marks two important, a-big-deal-to-me events:
1. I am turning 30 on January 14th!!!!!!!!! (i know, I look 18)
2. It's Bee Littlequeen's one year blogiversary!!

I don't like to make new years resolutions because I usually don't keep them all year. Because of that total lack on my part, those failures turn into guilt that I just don't need! I already have enough stress dealing with my anxiety and self-issues.

 I read someone's status on facebook a few days ago that said something like, " If it ain't serving me a purpose, then it does not exist."

Like WOW!!

Ok, so really, just because I don't make resolutions doesn't mean I don't make goals. I am one of those kinds of people that likes to plan and make lists (hello sticky notes!). My goals are typically short term goals like this and this needs to get done today or this week. Here comes a little complaining, but it's true!, my attention is constantly being pulled by different people around me. These distractions, especially the past month, have deterred me from even blogging. 

I don't like to make promises I can't keep,so i'll just say that i HOPE and AIM to post more regularly this year. (i realize that I haven't posted anything since Christmas eve and I really miss blogging.)

A few goals I'd like to announce for 2013 for life & blog are:

*Reach 400 GFC followers
*Be better at responding promptly to blog post commenters
*Get back on some sort of Bible reading plan/devotional/study time with God
*Have a more positive attitude and try to understand the other person before I react negatively
*Reach out to random strangers who look like they need cheering up or help

WITH A NEW YEAR NOTHING MUCH CHANGES EXCEPT THE DATES AND MAYBE YOUR ATTITUDE

I WILL and I CAN have a new attitude!

Right now, I am just focusing on planning and preparing for my birthday party that I am having at the end of the month where all of my family, caregivers and some friends are invited.

However, I sometimes do work better under pressure so I'll probably have a giveaway or two the week of my actual birthday! Hmm, maybe i'll have those giveaways in honor of my birthday + my blogiversary OR have one giveaway on/for my birthday and one for the blogverisary. Idk, I haven't made up my mind yet, but be rest assured, we'll have a little celebration here! :)

Do you make resolutions? What are they?

So my friends, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! It's going to be a fun-filled, blessed year! I can feel it!!!

Cheers! Salud!