Liebster Award 2017

As a writer, I often spend my working hours interacting with other writers - and as I open my world to more blogging and spend more effort growing my blog as a side business, I've been interacting a lot more with bloggers.

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I've been blogging off and on since around 2007, and I've had so many blogs over the years that I no longer even remember where they've all been - not that I'd say even if I could remember, as my early blogs are often quite embarrassing to look back on. So it's no surprise that I enjoy reading blogs as well - I like to think of them as today's magazine articles, perfect for when I'm waiting in line to pick up the kids from school, waiting for a doctor's appointment, etc. Not to mention, many of you know about my on-again-off-again love affair with Pinterest, which is in itself a blogging-type social network, with most pins actually leading to blog posts of one kind or another.

I like that blogs are a paper-free (and cost-free, cha-ching) style of magazine reading that allows me to follow exactly the right content for me, and I actually follow several different blogs for various reasons. I like affordable, low-cost, minimalist fashion, so I keep my eyes peeled for blogs and blog posts on that topic, as well as blogs about motherhood and parenting, entrepreneurship, small business operation and growth, food and cooking, books (of course) and lots of other topics. But my most favorite blogs are the well-rounded ones, the ones that aren't such a tightly fitted niche spot, the ones that fit a wide range of people and personalities. I like the ones that talk about a little bit of everything - the one-stop-shops of the blogging world. Those are the blogs most like me, the blogs with the readership I'd love to grow, the communities I'd love to be part of, the models I most want to emulate.

So all that to say this: I may not always be raising my hand and announcing my presence, but I get around in the blogging world (stop, not like that), and part of getting around successfully (stop it, I said) is making meaningful connections with other great bloggers like me.

Recently, one of those connections surprised me in The. Best. Way. and nominated me for the Liebster Award!

What is the Liebster Award?
"The Liebster Award 2017 is an award that exists only on the internet, and is given to bloggers by other bloggers. The earliest case of the award goes as far back as 2011. Liebster in German means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome." (Text taken from here.)

But the Liebster Award, like most other blogging awards, comes with a laundry list of fun "responsibilities" - which I actually think are a lot of fun! Among the responsibilities are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you (of course).

Crystal Gard from Gardhub.ca nominated me. Crystal's blog is classified as a personal lifestyle blog - but my favorite thing about her site is her deep and insightful poetry. She has a strong way with shortform writing that expresses beautifully in poetry, but she also covers a range of other topics, which makes Gardhub.ca a perfect "one-stop-shop" sort of blog for women like me. Thanks so much for this nomination, Crystal! It's my first blogging award, and I'm totally flattered that you thought of me when choosing your nominees.

2. Display the award on your blog (again, of course).

Done this, of course. I loved that there were several different images to choose from on the original award page!

3. Write a bit about your favorite blog (which is not your own).

My current favorite blog is TheSensibleMom.com and I found this blog through a totally roundabout process. One of my favorite vloggers is Sarah Rae Vargas; now and then she'll talk about her siblings and the rest of her family, many of whom are also bloggers/vloggers, though I don't think any are as well-known as Sarah is. Still, Sarah's sister Sandra (owner of TheSensibleMom.com) is a refreshing contrast to Sarah's bold and brash style, and I love how easily I can relate to her blog. Where Sarah is perfect for the loud and outgoing side of me, Sandra has a more quiet kind of confidence that I relate closely to. I also love how down to earth she is, how strong her Christian faith is, and the fact that her family recently switched to full-time RV living, which I think is SO COOL.

4. Share 10 random facts about yourself.

1. I can't pick a favorite ANYTHING. I can make a list of favorites, but I can't ever just pick one.
2. I like to run or jog. As a plus-sized woman, I often find people very surprised by this - the assumption is that because I'm a larger woman, I can't run, or I hate running. And although I'll admit that I'm likely the slowest runner EVER, I actually like going for a good run.
3. I love crafting. Knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, etc. Which brings me to ...
4. I can't sew. I want to learn hand sewing SO BAD so that I can make clothes for my girls and I, but everything I've ever sewed (sewn?) falls apart within days.
5. I hate "airhead" talk. Anyone who talks like this around me for too long is doing it at risk of their own personal safety.
6. I'm afraid of cats. Except for this one, who is obviously the best and sweetest cat ever to be born. Except when he's being sassy and he bites a little, or when he gifts you with a dead mouse, dropped proudly at your feet.
7. I hate when people complain about things when they have no intention of fixing the problem leading to the complaint.
8. I was born almost exactly 7 years in between my two brothers. This birth-order weirdness is a repeating trend in my family. For example, my cousin Dana and I? I'm a scant five months older than she is. Our children? Josephine is only three months older than Dana's son, Ezekial. Neat, huh?
9. When I was younger, I played the clarinet in my middle school band. When I got older and stopped playing, I eventually got rid of my clarinet; I'm still horribly sorry for that, and I want to relearn the clarinet with a strength that sometimes aches a little.
10. I suck at math. I"m not even kidding, I'm awful at it. I can do algebra, but the formulas and stuff that come with harder math? Nope. I quit.

5. Nominate 5-11 other small bloggers who you think deserve the award. (In my personal interest to maintain the spirit of the Liebster Award {which is to discover new blogs}, I'm choosing to nominate blogs I've newly discovered. So with that being said, my nominees are:

1. Kirsty, from Me, Cupcakes, and Tea. (TOPIC: Lifestyle)
2. Darci, from Life Unplanned. (TOPIC: Lifestyle)
3. Jenna, creator of She Ate The Elephant. (TOPIC: Motivational/Self-Empowerment)
4. Matisse, from I Love You Like A ... (TOPIC: Lifestyle)
5. Taylor, from Blonde & Ambitious Blog (TOPIC: Lifestyle)
6. Kat, from Katnapped (TOPIC: Lifestyle)

6. List these rules in your post so that the bloggers you nominate can follow them.

Check.

7. Inform your nominees that they have been nominated.

Check.

Again, thanks for nominating me, Crystal! This was a ton of fun!

Questions for the Comments Section:

• What are your favorite blogs (that are not your own), and why?