My Liebster Award + A Funny

     A huge thank you to Meg at The Patchwork Paisley for nominating me for a Liebster Award. It came as a complete surprise and I'm honored that someone (other than my mom) thinks my blog is worth reading and acknowledging. Make sure you go check out Meg's blog - her artwork is fabulous and I especially love her post about her baby's nursery - she's got some really cute ideas there.

So, what is it?

     Liebster is a German word that means dearest or beloved. The Liebster Award is a peer award given to "up and coming" bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. It's given by fellow bloggers, so it's an opportunity to recognize and acknowledge each other, connect with new bloggers and build community. Yes, it's a little bit chain-letter-ish, but it's a fun way to get to know some new people.

The Rules:

1. Link back to the person who nominated you.

2. Answer the 11 questions asked by your nominator.

3. Choose at least 5 and up to 11 bloggers, each with fewer than 200 followers, and nominate them for the award.

4. Come up with 11 questions for your nominees to answer.

5. Contact your nominees and notify them of your nomination.

So, without further ado, here are Meg's questions and my answers:

1. If there was a movie made based on your life, who would play you and why?

    I had to ask my husband this question because I'm pretty clueless when it comes to anything actor or movie-related. He says Jenna Fisher. Apparently I'm just like her character, Pam, from The Office.

2. What was the last thing you Googled?

    Watermarking images for my blog.

3. What is one of your guilty pleasures? 

    Chocolate chips straight from the bag. I literally eat handfuls of them.

4. What is something you know now that you wish you knew "then?"

     Now that I'm a mom, I wish I had known how hard parenting was (and I'm only at the beginning). I'm pretty sure I gave my parents a rough go at times as a child and teenager (I think I was what you might call a "strong-willed" child - that's probably putting it nicely). I wish I had known then that everything they did parenting-wise came from a place of love and was done with my best interest in mind.

5. What do you consider to be one of your greatest accomplishments? 

    Giving birth to my daughter.

6. What is one thing not many people know about you?

    My Meyers-Briggs personality type is INFP

7. If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your life, would you? What would it be?

    Sometimes I wish I had chosen a different profession (I'm a nurse and don't think I love it as much as I should). I also really wish I was multi-lingual.

8. What is your favorite Disney movie? 

    I still love The Lion King and I think I always will. :)

9. What is something you've never done, but would like to try?

    I would love to take a long-term trip through Europe (maybe backpack-style, at least for a little while). I've been to Europe, but only for short visits. I wish I could take a year or so, stop and stay in one place for a while then move on to the next one and see and experience as much of it as possible. That or be on The Amazing Race. Or go on a safari in Africa.

10. Where is your favorite place to be?

      Other than at home with my husband & daughter, I love being out in nature - in the mountains, the forest, under the stars - but I think the absolute best place on earth is the Canadian prairies during a summer thunderstorm.

11. What is your favorite blog post you've written?

      I really like this one.

Now, for my nominees (and I apologize if you have more than 200 followers, it's hard to tell - I used GFC and/or Bloglovin for my numbers):

   Andrea @ Hand and the Heart. Andrea's writing is honest and beautiful. Sometimes I read a post of hers and wish I had written it! :) I always look forward to her posts.

   Jen @ First Comes Love. A fellow nurse and mom of a little girl. I really enjoy Jen's warmth and humor. She’s also a very talented photographer.

   Shannon @ Everyday Mom-ents. I only recently found Shannon's blog, but I truly admire her commitment to her daily workout routine with 2 little ones at home…makes me think I need to stop making excuses and get moving!

   Megan @ One Fifteen Danville. Megan's another recent find and fellow first-time mama (her daughter is 2 days older than mine). Her blog is beautiful to look at, and her writing is honest and real.

   Colleen @ Naturally Crafty Mom. I love Colleen's passion for cloth diapering (just like me!) and she has some great posts on the topic.

   Amanda @ Happily Ever After. Amanda's list of the 10 things she lives for is almost identical to what mine would be.

  Alycia @ Crazily Normal. Alycia's the only person on this list who I actually know in real life. :) We live in the same town, are both nurses, had baby girls weeks apart, and are now both blogging about mom-life.

My questions for my nominees: 

 1. How did you come up with your blog name?

 2. What is your favorite blog post you’ve written? Link to it so we can all read it!

 3. Morning person or night owl? Coffee or tea? Salty or sweet? (yes I know I'm cheating and asking more than one question but they're easy one word answers!)

 4. What is/are your favorite book(s)? (This one’s for me - I'm always looking for new book suggestions!)

 5. What is the one thing (not person) you don't think you could live without?

 6. What is your favorite place you've traveled to?

 7. If you could spend a day with any person – past, present, living, dead – who would it be and why?

 8. Is your life right now what you imagined it would be 5 years ago? Is there anything that surprises you about your life?

 9. If you could go back in time and give your younger self any one piece of advice, what would it be?

 10. What would you do with a free day all to yourself?

 11. If you were to go back to school just for the fun of it, what would you study? What’s one subject you really want to know more about?

         To my nominees, I hope you can take some time to answer these questions and link back with your answers - I'd love to hear what you all have to say. Of course, you don't have to participate if you don't want to, but it's a fun way to connect and get to know each other better. Make sure you leave a comment here and link back when you've finished so I can read all about you! Take care and Happy Friday!

     Oh, and on a funny note, I saw this posted on Facebook this morning and thought it was hilarious. Maybe it's the lack of sleep I had last night, but I was literally laughing out loud. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.