Singing in Starbucks ~ Challenge Yourself!

Last week i did an equally petrifying and exciting thing - We performed at Starbucks again!

It’s funny, i still get nervous. In particular with the songs we've never performed before. But its a good type of nervousness, one that reminds me that not everyone has the courage to do what i did. One that makes me very proud of myself when the evening ends…knowing i didn't let the nerves stop me from doing something i love. Now, could i just carry that feeling over to singing opera already?! The idea of it makes my knees start shaking!!!

Since Jay (my brother) and i started performing at Starbucks, we've added in a lot more modern music to our repertoire. Which i love! We always perform it acoustically, but it feels great to have people singing along with you because they know the song.

As always, the staff in our local Starbucks were amazing. I love seeing them having a good time whilst we are performing. They’ve been so welcoming & complimentary to my brother & i. We can’t wait to perform there again soon. 

What i’m taking from this is if i can sing in starbucks for an evening, i can sing opera for 5 minutes in front of people. So at some point soon, i will. I hope you remember to challenge yourself and keep rising to new heights.

As always, Take care & Much Love, Beth xxx

My Instagram: https://instagram.com/bethanyrogersart

My brother's instagram: https://instagram.com/jathanrogersmedia

Our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/JBR-Music

Matcha madness in January!!

Hello everyone, guess what? We made it through January! 

For me January is usually filled with illness and trying to keep positive. So to combat this from within, I took on the Matcha Challenge from the fine folks over at teapigs. 

In typical form, my January started off with Laryngitis! Woop... woop...

But I was determined to make the most of the challenge. I viewed my daily matcha as a little super power to help me get better! 

So, I tried teapigs matcha green tea powder everyday and in as many different ways as I could. As a tea, a shot, with juice, in a smoothie, as a Matcha latte, and in some gorgeous muffins!!

As a total tea fanatic, I love the way Matcha tastes. However if you don't like the taste I would recommend putting it in a smoothie or in your baking. 

So how's it different to normal green tea? Well, apart from it being a powder, here's a few fun facts about Matcha: 

- The levels of antioxidants in matcha green tea are higher than that of spinach and blueberries.

- 85% of people said it helped with their health routine & diet.

- One glass of matcha is the equivalent of 10 glasses of green tea in terms of its nutritional value and antioxidant content.

- Drinking Matcha Green Tea has also been shown to increase metabolism  and help the body burn fat about four times faster than average.

- Matcha green tea leaves contain a high level of easily-absorbable dietary fibre.

There's plenty of evidence to back up it being called a superfood! And I happen to agree! 

I did feel sick during this challenge simply due to the awful sore throat I had. But I found myself looking forward to my Matcha pick me up. Also, it really encouraged me to stay on track with my diet when everyone was eating chocolate around me! 

Would i recommend it? Yes! And I know it's on the expensive side but with products like this, when they become a part of your daily routine, I feel like you're investing in your health. 

Here's where you can find the teapigs matcha powder I tried: http://www.teapigs.co.uk/m/tea/shop_by_category/matcha_shop/matcha.htm

Still curious about teapigs or matcha? teapigs have an awesome newsletter where you can get loads 
of good information & latest discounts, just visit their website to sign up: http://www.teapigs.co.uk

Thank you so much for reading my review! Hope you're all have a great week. 

Much love, Beth 

*teapigs set me this challenge and very kindly sent me my own sample of matcha. All views are my honest opinions.

Art Focus: The realities of being an artist...

For those of you that don't know, I'm an artist! I have been for over 2 1/2 years now and I love it! However there are definitely some things I wish someone had told me when I decided to become an artist for a living! Some of these are funny and some are serious, but I thought I would let you into the world of being an artist!

Here goes, the realities of being an artist...

One of your hands are always cold. 
Is this just me?? I have bad circulation so every time I spend any long amount of time painting or drawing I end up with one cold hand and one warm hand... Really annoying!!! 

The commissions & orders come all at once! 

I have no idea why this is, but I can pretty much guarentee when I get an order, I'll have atleast another 2 come in within 24hours. I'm not complaining, but I think it's hilarious how this happens!

You have to get used to suggestions...

This was completely the hardest part about becoming an artist for a living. People are constantly suggesting you try things or you should check out another artist. Honestly, i found it really hard to deal with. I wanted to do my own thing, when I wanted to and how I wanted to. But actually all those suggestions are REALLY helpful!! Listen to them! It lets you know what people want and ultimately, what they are willing to buy! 

You get a serious case of 'brain fog' a lot of the time... 

When the orders are flowing it and you're getting messages here, there and everywhere it's seriously hard to keep track. Keeping organised and a to do list really helps, but even so, it's normal to be constantly think about your next pieces of art! 

If you want to see more of my art, here's where you can find me: 

Instagram: Instagram.com/bethanyrogersart 

Facebook: facebook.com/inspirebybethanyrogers

Twitter: twitter.com/bethirishart

Etsy: sillymooart.etsy.com

Thank you so much for your support! I'll do another art themed post soon. 

Have a great day, much love, Beth xxx

A little foodie review: The Green Cat Bakery

Ahhhh, I just love this little place! For those of you that don't know it, let me introduce you to the Green Cat Bakery in Eglinton.

Finally, after months of my mum and I going here separately or with other people, we actually had lunch together at the Green Cat Bakery! 

One of the many things I love about this place is their menu. They have a breakfast menu, which you can order from at any point of the day and they specialise in afternoon teas. 

Today, I was determined to try something from their lunch menu... It was so hard to resist the eggs benedict and French toast!! 

(Eggs benedict - Uhmazing!!)

I had a falafel salad, and as always they didn't disappoint. Not only is the food great but the service and atmosphere make for a really enjoyable experience.

As always, it won't be long til I'm back!! French toast next time 💕 

Much love, Beth xxx

P.S. Don't you just love their cups & saucers! 

A letter to anxiety...

Dear anxiety, 

oh you.

yes you, anxiety.

The thing that turns simple situations into my nightmare. 

 

Quite honestly, there are times when I really hate you.

You make a crowded room feel like one of the most daunting prospects. But what you don't know, is that room is full of people who love me. 

You make me second guess myself, you crush my confidence. You hide and then suddenly overtake me, stopping me in my tracks.

What's even worse is a lot of people don't know you exist. Or the ones that do know you, might not know what it's truly like to put up with you. 

Even though I can't get rid of you, I'm working on giving you less importance. No matter how much you cause me to freak out, you remind me I am human. You help me to relate to others who suffer from you. 

I cannot avoid you. But I can defeat you, one day at a time. You won't stop me being myself. You won't stop me socialising. 

Sometimes you might win. But I won't give up. 

Your (not so much) friend, 

Beth 

Being completely in denial... Food affects your health!

Ok... Time for a confession.... I have been wholeheartedly in denial that what I eat has an affect on my health. 

It's obvious, I know, but it's easy to convince yourself of something if you want to. 

In the past, people have pointed out to me that what I eat has an affect on my inflammation, my digestive system and my general well being. I knew this was true at the time but to be honest I wasn't ready to delve into it. At the time I was focusing on getting my head in the right place and trying to deal emotionally with being diagnosed. 

I've always been fairly healthy however recently life's been getting in the way and I've had a rough few weeks. However I now feel ready to approach the whole topic of food affecting your health & arthritic conditions.

So I decided to blog about it. It will definitely be gradual. I will try to look at what foods I can add in to my current diet rather than focusing on what foods i should eliminate - I know doing this in the past has made me feel so restricted that I haven't stuck to it! 

Initially i plan to take two weeks adjusting things in my diet, trying to focus on something new each day. I will do a blog post in two weeks to let you now how I'm feeling and if I'm noticing a difference in my health. If any recipes or amazing finds come up in between time then I'll definitely blog about it! 

If you've read this whole post, then thank you, it means a lot ❤️ 

Much love, Beth xxx