Liebster Award!

This is kind of fun - a sweet blogger named Natalie, of A Slice of Our Life, nominated me for a Liebster award, which I gather is something of a chain post game for new bloggers (those with less than 200 followers). While I'm a black sheep of chain letters, this one's considered an honor, so I'm in.  The process is:  I state 11 odd facts about myself, I answer Natalie's 11 questions, and I ask 11 questions of other bloggers that I admire.

I presently follow some blogs but most are well-established blogs with well over 200 followers.  I had to go looking for some potential nominees so I checked out the blogs of all Rise and Shine followers.  I learned a couple things.  1~ I attract mostly non-Americans.  Apparently those in the UK and I are on a wavelength!  2~ Most of my followers enjoy things such as geekdom, chickens and random displays of quirkiness.

I narrowed down my faves (bloggers, see bottom of page for Natalie's description of the Liebster protocol):

Feral Kitchen

Feral Kitchen is a food blog created by Tessa.  She takes really beautiful photos of her food and also incorporates nature photos from her spectacular garden and from around her hometown in Oregon.  She just feels like a kindred spirit when I read her blog.

The Gingered Whisk is created by Jenni, a mom, wife, passionate cook and creative spirit.  I love that she participates in both the Daring Bakers and Daring Cooks club along with other various communal food blogging adventures.  She's a real go-getter and her blog shows it!  She also doesn't come off like she's shooting for Foodgawker, which is kind of a relief after following some picture perfect blogs that are awesome but admittedly make me feel bad about myself.

Natalie's Kitchen Secrets

Natalie's Kitchen Secrets, created by an English woman (Natalie), is a lovely blog covering everything from her family, their nature play, her baking and decorating business and her art projects.  I love her simple stories and the look of her photos.

Mint and Rosemary is a blog coming out of London, created by a woman whose name I didn't catch.  She has both an English version of her food blog and also one in Romanian.  Her recipes look incredible, the photos are awesome, and I'm honored that she's even looked at my blog much less signed up as a follower!

The Authentic Nut is a baking blog created by Riley, who resides in Canada but is from England.   She's got a ton of recipes and now that I've really looked into her recipe index, I will undoubtedly use it as a reference when in need.

Lulu Loves

Lulu Loves is created by a woman from Wales, I believe, presumably named Lulu.  I may have leaned toward this one because as a kid, my family called me Lulu.  I also went to school for music and played the flute.  Check out her blog and you'll read stories on everything from her music dissertation to her family tree to her trip to watch the paralympics.  You can also find her at Lulu Loves Cake.  She seems like a cool lady and I like her perspective.

Check out their blogs for fun and a fresh perspective, and to hear their answers to the questions I came up with!

11 questions for my fellow bloggers: 

1. What are your 3 favorite songs at the moment?
2. What color do you wear the most and why?
3. What was the most embarrassing fashion choice of your youth? 
4. Do you have a hidden talent (do tell!)?
5. What were your great grandfathers' occupations?  
6. What was your favorite subject in school?
7. What sport are you best at?
8. Would you rather always lose or never play?
9. What would you choose to eat for your last meal?
10. If you had to go back to school for a degree or certificate, what would it be?
11. Would you rather be an effective politician forced to resign in disgrace or an ineffective politician that nobody will remember?

Here's what I have to say about me, in honor of this Leibster award...

11 things you may not know about me:

1. Every couple years, I play through every Super Mario All-Stars game without warping on the Super Nintendo.
2. I am not a picky eater but I really hate macaroni and cheese.
3. I have a prejudice against picky eaters.
4. I was very active in 4-H through childhood and I owe most of my skills to this.
5. I run a vocational training program for adults with traumatic brain injuries.
6. I have 2 daughters, 2 cats, 8 birds, 4 chickens and one rabbit.  Though, my husband cares for more of these than I do.
7. I have no fear of spiders or snakes.  I am scared of turtles and needles (the medical sort).
8. Collecting free or inexpensive vintage clothing is one of my favorite hobbies.
9. I have never opened any social networking accounts besides my blog and an email address.
10. We don't have network or cable TV in our house but we love to watch obscure movies on DVD and VCR.
11. I like taking creative photos and nature photos more than I enjoy food photography. 

11 questions for me from Natalie of A Slice of Our Life:

1. If you could have everything on one of your Pinterest boards, which board would you pick?
~Sorry, I don't have any Pinterest boards.  Though, I am aware of Pinterest and if I did have boards it would very likely be related to vintage clothes, nostalgic toys and vintage kitchenware~

2. What is your favorite must-have item in your purse?
~Lists...wish lists, things to do, things to buy~

3. What is your favorite brand of makeup?
~Burt's Bees tinted lip balm~

4. What is one of your guilty pleasures?
~Grilled cheese...Velveeta on cheap white bread~

5. Who is your idol?
~Abraham Lincoln~

6. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? 
~Florida to see my friend Tim and Montana to see my sister Leah~

7. What would you do if you had a million dollars?
~Quit my job (though I do love it), support my husband so he could do the same, buy a piece of remote forest near water and build a cabin, read and write books, make art, travel to see my loved ones~

8. What is your favorite movie?
~The Fall by Tarsem Singh~

9. What is a random fact about you?
~I have degrees in psychology and music.  In college, I played the piccolo~

10. What is your favorite holiday?
~Mother's Day~

11. If you could meet one person, who would it be?
~Abraham Lincoln~

The Liebster:
Here are the rules for accepting this award:

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you
3. Then create 11 new questions for the people you tag with the award
4. Choose some (5-10) bloggers (with less than 200 followers) and link them in your post.
5. Go to their page and tell them about the award
6. Follow the tagger and visit at least 3 of their nominees. Spread the love!
And Remember, no tag backs! :)