Liebster Blog Award

Wow! I woke up this morning with a new goal of posting one post, every Monday, and I had a topic in mind, but a friend and fellow blogger, writer, mom and more, nominated me for a blog award. Honestly, I was shocked, and I am incredibly thankful for this nomination!

The award is the Liebster Blog Award. In German, Liebster is “Favorite” – so I got nominated as a favorite blog! Super cool, thank you Angela!!

With this come a few rules for participation, which are:

1. Tell 11 things about yourself.
2. Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.
3. Post 11 questions for those who will be nominated by you.
4. Nominate other bloggers (up to 11) who have less than 200 followers.
5. Get in contact with those 11 bloggers to inform them that you nominated them.

11 Things About Me:

1. I can’t help but thank God when I look over at “Baby Daddy” and realize just how blessed I am to have him.
2. I just recently started homeschooling again.
3. I love to cook and bake.
4. I am 37 weeks 4 days pregnant with our first baby girl.
5. We are a blended family, with 4 boys between us.
6. I didn’t want to have a girl.
7. Although I swore I would NEVER own pet rodents, we have 2 rats (and although I have a horrible fear of their teeth, I’m rather fond of them.)
8. I love car shopping, but that is the only kind of shopping I actually enjoy.
9. I over think everything.
10. My least favorite house chore would be the sweeping and mopping.
11. I love seafood.

These are the 11 questions that Angela asked me to answer:

1. What inspired you to start to write? I’ve been writing for years, it was my outlet as a teen, and I loved all of my school subjects that required me to write. I started several novels but never made it back the first 5 pages until Angela encouraged me to really give it an honest effort. I have nearly 200 pages that are “complete” although they are in first draft mode and have a long ways to go.

2. Which writers do you most admire? Honestly, my friend Angela for her dedication to her WIP, and my friend Julie Jarnigan…she’s published and I really know her, how cool is that?!

3. Which are your all time fave books? You would think as a writer and avid reader that I would have a favorite book…but honestly, I get very into the books I read, am sad when they are over, and yet, I do not really have a favorite.

4. How do you like to spend your free time? Free time is a foreign concept in this house! LOL Well, I like to write, or read, or soak in a hot bath if it is quiet when I get my free time. If it is time with the kids, but with school and chores completed, then I like to read with them, or even just cuddle. When the weather is warm enough, I enjoy being outside with the kids too.

5. Where would you love to travel to? Australia, Ireland, and I want to see all 50 states in my lifetime.

6. Fave music to listen to when writing? “How to Train Your Dragon” soundtrack

7. Fave movie? Pride and Prejudice

8. What are you reading now? “The Christian Atheist” by Craig Groeschel

9. Tell me a random fact. If rats have too much protein in their diets, they will scratch at themselves until they have sores.

10. Your hopes for this year? To stick with several commitments that will help shape the story of my life.

11. What inspires you? The list of what doesn’t inspire me would be much shorter and easier to list, because inspiration is all around! Cheesy, I know, but so true. When I think of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, I am humbled and inspired to live more intentionally. When I look at the amazing man in my life and all he’s done and is doing for the boys and I, and how hard he works, I feel an enormous sense of pride in him and for him, and he makes me want to try harder to be and do better every day. When I realize my sons are watching my every move and step, I am inspired to grow. As a writer, I find inspiration in the silliest things (how about a woman in a wedding gown and a man in nice clothes but not quite a tux, coming into the restaurant I was in…) and my brain runs away with notions and ideas and soon, it is a story, just waiting for me to record it.

11 Questions for the bloggers I have nominated:

1. How long have you been writing?
2. What excuses get in the way of your writing time?
3. What one habit could you change that would give you more time to write?
4. Does your family take an interest in your writing/are they privy to your WIP?
5. If a fellow writer were looking for random advice, what would you say to him/her?
6. What is your favorite dessert?
7. Where is the strangest place an idea came to you, and how did you make note of it to keep from losing the idea?
8. What time of day do you like best for writing?
9. If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go?
10. If you could paint any room in your house any color you wanted, what room and what color?
11. What is one of your kids’ toys that you absolutely love/loved or what was your favorite childhood toy?

Now, for my nominations! I nominate Julie Jarnigan, and Anne Love & Jaime Wright. I love reading these two blogs and I hope you will enjoy them as well!!

Again, thank you so much Angela for your nomination and your questions! And for completely derailing my writer-brain and plan for the morning… LOL