Sister, Sister

It's been a crazy few weeks,
 which has resulted in a lack of blog posts and lots of missed sleep. This morning, I got to wake up late, go to class, and now I have a break to do some homework and write before my next class. So, how do I spend it? Listening to Michael Buble's Christmas album and writing about my favorite sister. This week, God has shown me so many things here and there. Although I absolutely LOVE fashion and being creative through my wardrobe, I believe God is pulling  me back to the true roots of why I started this blog in the first place: HIM. Someone was joking with me the other day when they said, "You take so many selfies for your blog." As I agreed and laughed it off, the next thing that came was super convicting....I realized it was true. Please do not take this is in any offensive way, cause this was something God showed me personally. Blogging about fashion rocks and in no way am I downing those of us who do it... I love taking pictures of my outfits to share with you all, and I will continue to do so, but I desire to write more and more about my Savior, what He has given me, and other things other than my day-to-day fashion. So, without further a due, I am dedicating this soon to be sappy post to my beloved sister, Rachel. She is one of the greatest gifts God has blessed me with and I could not imagine my life without her. I took these pictures about 2 weeks ago because I loved her festive LSU outfit that she wore to school. Although her outfit is a cute one, let me tell you a little but about HER.

If you were a 90's kids, you grew up watching (or at least knew about) the show SISTER, SISTER which featured the Mowry sisters. They were twins and everything about them was the same, except for a few things...If you look at our lives, you could easily say the same thing.. Here is why:
We are both studying Spanish with a minor in linguistics.

We both love to travel.
We both have a heart for missions.

We both sing (in choir and everywhere else) together.
We are both managers at Canes.

We play the same sports.

We are both adventurous and love roller coasters, heights, and the deep blue sea.
Bascially, we are the same person.
 When someone mentioned that to me the other day, I had to sit back and think about some things that we actually did NOT have in common. Although it was pretty hard, this is what I came up with:

Rachel is obssessed with Nutella. I would rather a spoonful of Biscoff.
Rachel likes action movies. I like chick-flicks.
If she could listen to any christian genre, it would be gospel. Mine would be rock.
Rachel is classy. I like to classify myself under the "hipster" umbrella.
Rachel is right handed. I'm left-handed.
Rachel is good at English. I'm good at math & science.

Rachel hates technology. I LOVE it.

Rachel has brown hair. I have blonde hair.

Brown eyes vs. blue eyes.
Rachel takes time to think through her actions/words. I blurt mine out. (that's a bad thing haha.)

Rachel is sweet and soft-spoken. I tell you how it is.

So, there you have it. The same person with different personalities!
Funny things aside, Rachel is the most wonderful sister for so many reasons. When I did not know the Lord truly and personally, I hated my family, especially my sister. In public, it seemed as everything was alright, but I was so jealous of her all the time. I used to curse her and my parents, rebel against them, and want to be the farthest away from them as I could be...However, Rachel was always there to love me and pray for me. Even though I did not love her as I ought have, she interceded for her rebellious little sister. I am so thankful she prayed for me in my roughest of times, and she still does today. When I truly gave my heart back to the Lord when I was 14, God showed me the wonderful sister and family I had and the LOVE they had shown me through my hard times. No one loved me as much as God did, and he gave me my family to love me and take care of me. He gave me my sister, whom I love very much.
Rachel encourages me daily to become a greater woman of God and I hope to have a heart for the Lord like she does. She loves the word of God and treats those around her with such love and compassion, just like Jesus would. She is a tremendous blessing.
Today, I am so privileged to have traveled on so many missions trips with her, teach vacation bible school with her, perform in plays with her, catch her whizzing softball as it came from the outfield to my position at homeplate, witness on the streets with her, shoot hoops with her, chill in our hammocks together, and most importantly, strive to follow Jesus together.
She is the greatest sister and I could not have asked for a better person to do life with me the last 20 years.

 In the Amazon Jungle

This one's to you, Sis.

I love you so much. Thank you for always pointing me to Jesus.

Who has influenced your life? Why?

"Frumpy" Sweater Friday

I love big,comfy sweaters.
However, sometimes they look frumpy.

I am super excited to show you how to "dress up" your typical "I want to wear a massive sweater today" syndrome. When you usually think of comfy, you think of baggy, warm clothes. I know, I know, yesterday was the perfect weather for that sort of thing. It was windy, everyone was rushing off to their next class, appointment, or event. Well, instead of throwing on the comfiest of sweat pants, I thought to myself,
"how can I utilize my favorite comfy sweater in order to make a stylish/comfy outfit?"

When looking in our closet, we (as woman) usually think "Okay, whats it gonna be today...Cute or comfy?"
Let's just stop right darn tootin' there and realize something...
it can be BOTH people!
Dressing cute is something I love to do, but trust me, I ALWAYS want to be comfy. If I'm not, I want to fidget, I feel uncomfortable, and have to watch how I sit, cross my legs, and blah blah blah.
 So, how can a comfy outfit be transformed
to go the extra mile?

1. SCARF IT UP.

(via me)

 

Dixie wanted to help me! Haha.

As you can see, I am wearing my comfiest sweater (hand-me-down from Grandma...whattt.) Dressed with my favorite Steve Madden boots, super comfy Levi jeans, and a scarf, this outfit is both super comfy and cute. With all of the browns going on, I decided to throw in another neutral, but a lighter color. The lighter purse adds some interest and it's hip & vintage (which I am all about).
//sweater: via grandma $0//Levi's: $40 on sale// scarf: gift $0//
 Steve Madden boots: Christmas present $0// purse: Burke's outlet: $15//
total cost: $55

2. Make a STATEMENT. 

I am in love with this look for so many reasons. We can dress a typical sweater up in a jiffy. With one accessory, all can change!! Look at how beautiful this statement necklace makes this outfit. BAM. This is probably my favorite accessory nowadays. I love me some statement necklaces. Tshirt, sweater, v-neck? No matter what "plain-jane" top you have hanging in your closet, a STATEMENT NECKLACE can easily fix that! 

3. Throw a HAT on. 

Ya wanna know the best thing about this fix? Alot of us have bad hair days too! This is an easy way to make a statement and look HIP too! I love this look and I'm so excited about it because I just bought a hat like this for myself. Here is my recent purchase from Target!! I'm a little happy about it because all of the comparable hats were over $40 bucks...Thank God for Target! I can't wait for it to come in...

Check it out HERE.

4. Tie/Loop a BELT around that frumpy thing.

Belts are an easy way to dress up and outfit and accentuate those curves!! Sometimes your body can be ultimately hidden in a sweater, but with a belt, that's outside of the question! Throw on some loafers or flats to finish this outfit, and you're golden!

5. Throw it over your favorite CHAMBRAY or BUTTON-UP.

Paired with this amazing chambray top and a necklace that I'm head over heels for, this is a win-win outfit. Nothing more to say.

Well, there you have it ladies! The comfiest sweater in your closet can now be transformed into 5 different looks! 

It's the weekend....
Go grab your favorite sweater, run around town with the joy of Jesus,
and snap a shot of your fun! Send me the looks you come up with and I'll feature them!

More than anything (fashion or frumpy sweaters), be sure to glorify the Lord in all you do today. Make Him the Lord of all you do!

Also, be sure to check out WHY SHE SING's blog today...It's about sweaters, too! 

With Love ❤, 

Beka

"charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."
Proverbs 31:30

Reception Song >> Study Break

It's here.

What we college folk like to call MID-TERM WEEK. 

*dramatic horror music*

To say the least, I haven't studied ahead like I always aspire to. Hey, its the thought that counts, right?

With our wedding being only 77 days away (yippee) we have seriously had to just drop what we are doing in some situations and plan this thing. In this case, I woke up this morning earlier than usual to start studying for my exams today. Needless to say, when I heard my mother jammin' out to Justin Beiber's "Baby," I was automatically dancing into the kitchen. 

"We need to pick out reception songs, Bek."

"Well, let's look some up!"

That might not have been the best idea. It was like a snow ball. Once you start rolling that thing down the mountain, you're done for. It gets massive. 

Oh well. We had a blast.

Mom and I were jammin' out to the latest songs, and of course, our favorite Motown hits. 

Although I am still struggling to find a song to walk down the aisle to, I can rest assured in the area of reception music. Here are a few songs we picked:

.....

1. Baby- Justin Beiber (not the most "classic" but hey, the ladies like to dance to it)

2. "Coming Out' - Diana Ross (total classic dance and make you feel happy song)

3. "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You." - Elvis Presley

4. "I Wanna Dance with Somebody"- Whitney Houston

5. "Aint No Mountain High" - Marvin Gaye 

AND..OUR 1st dance as a couple's song is..... ________!
You really thought I was going to tell you? hahaha.

.....

That's just a sneak peek of the wedding plans for the day!

What songs did you play for your wedding reception?
If not married yet, what songs have you always wanted to play? 

Check out these inspirational photos
that I absolutely adore!

"Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises
unto him with the timbrel and harp."
Psalm 149:3

Sun-Day, Scarf Day!

Happy Sunday Everyone! 

What a fabulous day to be alive. God is absolutely wonderful and today I am super thankful for His GRACE and the ever coming day in which I will see Him face to face!

Last night, I had an outfit already picked out for church (because I scramble and throw clothes everywhere Sunday AM if I dont't) but this morning, I decided to wear pants with my outfit instead of my original skirt...What do you think of my fall, peplum look?
I am in love with it because the scarf is not too put together, but the Peplum adds structure and shape to the outfit. Not to mention, my favorite booties and earrings pull it all together for a look that will make you want to go buy a pumpkin and sit by the fire!
Check out my outfit and then see how to enter my first giveaway!

 my favorite earrings

Shirt: Versona $20// Pants: Gift from grandma $0// Scarf: Plato's $6// Earrings: Versona $3.99// Booties: Walmart $14.87
//Total Cost= $44.86//

SCARF GIVEAWAY & RULES:

First Scarf // Winner drawn on Oct. 18th

I am super excited to announce my blog's first Giveaway! Praising Hands, Traveling Shoes has paired up with The Purple Cow to provide my readers with 3 chances to win FABULOUS scarves for the fall season. This month, you will enter to win each scarf M-F on the current week. The winner will be chosen on the Friday of that week and will be announced that Saturday.
The first scarf to be given away is a beautiful burnt orange scarf from Cato via The Purple Cow. It's gorgeous & absolutely perfect for fall.

HOW TO ENTER:

You will be able to enter the scarf giveaway using the Giveaway Widget on my blog page. There are 6 different means by which you can enter. The more you do, the more times your name is entered into the giveaway.
1. Instagram: Follow me (rebekah__elizabeth), repost my scarf giveaway post with a shoutout, and hashtag #praisingandtraveling 

2. Become a Fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/praisingandtraveling

3. Follow my blog
4. Comment on my blog
5. Pin my scarf photo on pinterest with #praisingandtraveling
6. Tweet about the scarf giveaway

You can do all of these (except Instagram) using the Scarf Giveaway widget to the right on my blog ------>> 

Questions? Concerns? Contact me! 

God bless, have a fabulous day of rest, and get to ready to enter tomorrow!

My Day Through the Lens

//my day through the lens//

I had a great day yesterday.

Long? yes.

Stressful? Yes.

Filled with stuff to complete? You bet.

However, it was blessed by God!
Why?

God has been showing me what it truly means to live in his Spirit. By spending time with our lovely Savior, we are able to be filled with his Spirit and live with his mind, heart, and attitude. It is the most beautiful thing in the world. We can have the mind of Jesus! [1 Cor 2:16]

For this reason, I had a great day. I was able to have some divine appointments with new people I met, had a great day observing my highschool, then had a good night at work. Here was my "yesterday" through the lens:

Nom nom nom!!

My favorite boots in the entire world.

Bella was modeling for me on the couch. I couldn't resist!

Dixie wanted some camera action too.

I got a self-timer camera app! Yippee!

Safe to say, I had a fabulous day yesterday filled with smiles, laughs, and the heart of Jesus. 

How is your day going? Are you stressed about mid-terms next week? On the mountaintop?
No matter where you are, always remember to PRAISE the Lord. There is no greater friend, comforter, or Savior like our Lord. Run to him throughout and your day, live in the Spirit, and it will all be wonderful. God bless, friends!

"This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24