An Award: AKA Random Facts About Me

Random Facts about Me

I was recently nominated for a Liebster Award by another blogger.  I have to admit...I had no idea what in the world this was.  But I was super excited to get nominated for an award.  Especially as I learned more about it.

This award is a fun way to recognize up and coming bloggers and share some blogging love.  It's focus is on smaller blogs, which is awesome. You also get to learn more about me!

Be sure to visit the blogger who nominated me at Lady Lee's Home.

Here is how it works…these rules aren't quite the ones that were passed onto me, but after doing some searching, I found lots of different sets of rules.  So these are the ones I'll go with.  They were found here.

1. Acknowledge the nominating blogger
2. Answer 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you
3. List 11 random facts about yourself
4. List some bloggers with fewer than 200 followers that you really feel deserve a little blogging love!
5. Let all of the bloggers know you have nominated them.  You cannot nominate the blogger that nominated you!
6. Post 11 questions for the bloggers you have nominated to answer

So without further ado, here are my answers to the questions that Lady Lee asked me.

1. If I gave you a $1000 to spend on yourself only, what will you spend it on?

This is a really hard one.  I don't like spending money on myself.  I'd much rather buy something fun for the kids or my hubby.  But...after giving it some thought, I think I'd spend the money on electric fencing supplies so I can properly rotational graze our cows.  And since that wouldn't take the whole $1000, I'd buy lumber for a really neat chicken coop.

(Does spending the money on the animals count as spending it on myself?  I really like the animals...and it'd make my life easier.  So I'll answer my own question with a YES!)

Besides, there would be just enough money left after both of those purchases that I could pick up a couple of new skirts from New Creation Apparel. They have beautiful skirts, excellent customer service and are located in Washington, just like me!   So easier animal maintenance and cute skirts?  Yup--it's a winning plan!

2. What is your favorite book?

 So many choices...I can't answer in a single sentence. 

Favorite overall would have to be the Bible.  I try to read it daily and the Lord has taught me so much through it.

 Other Favorite: Family Friendly Farming by Joel Salatin.  I've learned SO much from his books.  This one sums it all up nicely.

3. What is your favorite childhood memory and why?

Playing crazy imaginary games on the swing set with my older sister Mindy.  We had such fun.  We each had an invisible mouse.   We blasted off into outer space.  We conquered the wild west.  We pretty much did it all.  Because we were just that awesome! 

4. List one vegetable you can’t live without.

 Carrots.  Raw.  Cooked.  In stuff. Yum!

5. What is your favorite time of the day?

I love the early mornings.  

6. Do you live close to your parents?

Um...do you consider right across the road to be close?  If so...yes.  To my mom and step-dad.

 My dad lives about twenty minutes away.  

We are pretty close to my husband's mom too.  She lives about thirty miles away.

His dad...not so much.  He's in Lubbock, TX. We wish we could see him more!

7. If you could go back to college, what will you choose to learn?

I'd become an SLP (Speech Language Pathologist) and learn all about Speech and Augmentative Communication.  It's the biggest area I really wish I knew more about when teaching Owen. 

8. What is your favorite movie?

Hmmm...right now, I'm thinking The Hunger Games.  It's about the only movie lately that I've stayed awake for...and it got me to read the books which were really thought provoking. 

9. What is your favorite season?

Spring.  The earth just seems so alive after winter.  It's beautiful!  

10. List one important thing you learned from your parents.

To persevere. 

11. If you had to choose between the ocean or the mountains, where will you live?

 

Note the mountains (well hills) in the background...we are surrounded by them.  See the trees? Now pay attention to the lack of salty water.  Yup--a great place to live! Thanks to my Bryan for the lovely pic!

Mountains any day.  I love them.  And the trees.  Sand?  Salty water? Good for a quick vacation, but definitely wouldn't want to live there.  


11 Random Facts About Me...in no particular order

1. I share a birthday with my Aunt Gerri.  She's pretty special, and I've always loved the fact that we share this day in January.

2.  I have a mild lisp.  I can usually hide it, but when I'm tired, it's definitely there.  Guess what?  With a child with a pervasive sleep disorder and a nursing baby, I'm pretty much always tired at this stage of my life.  Trying to learn not to hate the lisp so much...but I really notice it when I'm reading aloud to the kids.
 
3. I really like animals.  And want to create environments where they can be happy and productive.  Watching the chickens scratch around for a bug, and seeing the cows kicking up their heels in the field is really relaxing for me.  

4.    I really don't like big cities.  We lived in San Diego for six months (well Imperial Beach) while Bryan was stationed there.  My sisters both grew up and left for the other (much more populated) side of the state.  Me?  We moved back here when it was possible.  Gladly.  I love the slow pace of life on the farm, and really enjoy days when we don't have to go anywhere.

5.I like drinking out of mason jars.  Easy to keep track of how much I'm drinking.  Easy to hold onto.  The wide mouth quart ones are best for water!

6. I'm learning to make my own personal care products.  Yup--that means my toothpaste, deodorant, chapstick and lotion were made by me.  From mostly the same ingredients.   

7. I dream of creating a successful family business here at the farm.  One where our children can join us and someday hopefully take over.  Multi-generational businesses are so amazing to me. So I'll end this fact with a brainstorm question:  If you had a couple hundred beautiful acres to use but not much start up money, what would you do to generate income?

8.  Being with my kids makes me happy.  I miss them when they are visiting Grandma or somewhere else.  I love working with them.  Playing with them.  Reading with them.  Schooling them.  They are a large part of my life, and I'm trying to remember to enjoy it now because they won't be little forever.

9.  I'm not musical.  At all.  I took a piano class in college and my teacher told me I have no rhythm. It's true! But I love to sing.  And I teach the kids a hymn a month.  Thankfully my husband is really blessed in this area and can teach the kids the correct tune.  The changing of tunes really doesn't seem to bother the kids much.

10.  Cooking is something I really enjoy.  I've simplified it for this stage of life, but every once in a while the desire to spend the day in the kitchen to create something wonderful hits and the kids and I get busy.  Potstickers...they're a favorite that fall under this category.  Homemade shells, homemade filling...lightly browned and steamed...yummy!

11.  I graduated from Walden University with my master's in Elementary Reading and Literacy.  With a 4.0.  And I regret it.  I enjoyed the teaching pay raise that went with it, but Bryan and I knew our desire was for me to be home.  Now we owe $35,000 on an education I'm not using.  And without it, we'd be completely debt free.  But that's okay.  Someday we'll get there. 


Blogs I Enjoy... And I Think You Will Too:

 
(I'm pretty sure I'm meeting the "Under 200 followers" rule....if not, I apologize in advance! I am just counting the followers listed, not Facebook "Likes" or other social media counts). I also made sure that these blogs didn't come back with a search result for "Leibster"...trying to spread the love with others who haven't already had it!

Some of these bloggers will have NO idea who I am...some I've interacted with before.  Regardless, I truly enjoy the following blogs...

1. Gentle Joy (Beautiful photography, and a fabulous chocolate chip cookie recipe...and more!)

2. Diamonds in the Rough  (I've gleaned some great practical homeschooling tips from this one!)
3. Trial and Error Home Ec (Some fabulous tips for housekeeping) 
4.  A Little Wife's Happy Life (Great posts on getting organized as a homemaker.)
5. Plain and Not So Plain (Amy's put out some wonderful series.  I've enjoyed her challenges for simpler living and her current one on losing weight.) 


11 Questions For The Bloggers Above:
1. What is your favorite sandwich?
2. What is one thing you hope to accomplish in the rest of 2014?
3.  What scent most makes you think of your childhood?
4. Where is your preferred locale--Rural, Suburban, Urban, Other?
5. What was your favorite blog post to write so far?
6. Are there any TV shows you can't miss?  If yes, which one(s)?
7. Why did you give your blog the title you did?
8. What genre of books do you most prefer?
9. Where is your dream vacation happening?
10.  Who most inspires you?
11. When do you prefer to write?

Now to go let the above bloggers know....

What fun!