Liebster Award, part 5

Okay, so you may vaguely recall that I received a Liebster Award back in December. Being the master procrastinator that I am, I have managed to put off actually nominating anyone and coming up with questions until now.

Truthfully, I would still be procrastinating, but I was nominated for another blogger award and it reminded me that I needed to finish this up, seeing as the holiday's are over and that was my excuse well thought out reason for waiting to finish. So, today is all about the Liebster!

First, who to nominate???

I think the rules say that I am to nominate 11 other blogs, but I'm a rule breaker, so I think I will nominate ....oh, let's say 6 other blogs. Why 6? I don't know, sounds like a nice easily accomplished number.

1. Jerimi at My Antidepressant Life. I love this Blog! Jerimi is funny and interesting and honest. Not to mention she has a ton of great quotes and catchy sayings on her blog, and we know I love a good quote! 
2.  Julie at Julie's Musings. Julie writes from the heart and her heart is for God. What is better than that??
3. Karen at Titus 2 Tea. This is another wonderful source of inspiration for me. Karen writes beautifully God inspired words that touch my heart.
4.  Kerry at smiffbib. This is one of the first blogs I ever read. She is honest and quirky and fun. She makes me think and makes me smile.
5. Rhye at Seven Seas of Rhye. This has nothing to do with the fact that she nominated me for my other award and everything to do with her wonderful, heartfelt writing style. She is a recent addition to my reading list and I look forward to her posts!
6. And finally, Ann at Doodles and Jots . She writes a great crafty blog and while I am not crafty, I do enjoy seeing what is out there in the crafty world! Also, Ann has been super supportive and kind to me in her comments on my blog, and as we all know comments make all the difference. 

There you go, 6 nominees. I could have selected more, so many more. But I need to save some for my other award nominations too. We will have to wait until tomorrow to see who those will be (translation, I can't decide)

Step 2, Come up with 11 questions for my nominees to answer. Okay, I am cheating here. I am going to use some of the questions that were asked of me....deal with it Liebster police (of which I hope there are none)!

1.  A childhood memory.
2. One of your biggest fears.
3. Something you wish you knew at 18.
4. Five things you cannot leave the house without.
5. Something you like about yourself.
6. If you could spend an hour in the past, when would you want to visit?
7. If you could have a thousand dollar gift card to one store, which store would it be?
8. If you could anonymously grant a wish, whose would you grant?
9. What flavor evokes the strongest memory for you? 
10. Why do you blog?
11. Dog or Cat person??

Ha! I did it. Okay, I didn't do it alone, but I did do it. That's what counts, right? Now it's up to my nominees. Answer the 11 questions, then tell your readers 11 random facts about yourself, and nominate some of your favorite blogs for the award!

Tomorrow I will begin the process of accepting this:

Until then, how about a smile?

If this doesn't at least make you smile, please check your pulse.

Liebster Award, part 4

So this week I have been talking about this:

If you missed it, you can read all about it here, here, and here! 

Today I am telling you 11 random facts about myself. I guess since I was nominated twice it should be 22, but I don't think I have that many facts in me, so we are sticking with 11! Here we go!

Random facts:

1. green is my favorite color
2. my real name is Tamara, but until I was 11 I was Tammy. At age 11 (when we moved to a new town) I insisted on being called Tamara. Now, no one calls me Tammy....My grandmother was the the last to do it....I kind of miss it.
3. I love condiments! Ketchup with fish sticks, Ranch dressing on french fries, way too much mayo or miracle whip on sandwiches!
4. I'm not the healthiest eater ;-)
5.  I was slow to start talking as a child, but my mom says I have been making up for it since.
6. I'm not nearly as nice as people think I am.
7. I am very shy and insecure in social situations. 
8. I try not to cuss (bad habit) more for my hubby than because of being a christian. He says ladies don't cuss, and I want to be a lady in his eyes.
9. I hated, in the strongest sense of the word, my step dad when I was a child/teenager. I had to grow up to see all the good things he did for me and choose to let them out weigh the bad stuff.
10. I am a terrible aunt. I don't see any of my nieces and nephews as much as I should and have no real, lasting relationship with any of them, though I love them all deeply.
11. my favorite color is green.......okay, I did that one already, but I can't think of another one. Let's see, what is my 11th random fact? Hmm..........I got it. I am very self critical. I find it easier to admit to the the things I do wrong than the things I do right.

Now, I am supposed to nominate other bloggers for this. And ask them 11 questions. And I will. But I think we can all agree that the holiday's are a pretty busy time of year, so I am going to hold off on my nominations until after the first of the year. In other words I am going to procrastinate. Which we all know I am good at. But look for my nominations and questions after January 1. (this assumes the Mayan's had it wrong and the calendar keeps going into 2013)

Again, thank you to Larissa & Rennata for nominating me. If you haven't checked out their blogs, here are the links, go give them a read. I think you will like them!

• Papa is a Preacher
• Growing Unique

Tomorrow I am going to tackle the GBE2 writing prompt about my first car, I hope you will come back and check it out!

Today is the Christmas party at work, so I am in a festive mood!

Liebster Award, part 3

So, this week I have been talking about being nominated for this:

 You can read more on it here and here.
 Today I am going to answer Rennata's questions (she writes over at Growing Unique)

1. What is your favorite scent. Honeysuckle
2. If cost was not a factor, where would your next vacation be? Ireland
3.  If you could spend an hour in the past, when would you want to visit? Gosh, I really don't know. Can I go to the future instead? I think I would like to go about 200 years into the future and see how the human race is doing.
4. If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be? Professional scrapbook maker. You know, for all those people who want scrapbooks but don't want to take the time to put them together. I think I would really enjoy getting paid for what I have been doing for free for years. :-)
5. What superpower would you want to have? The ability to meet the needs and fulfill the desires of all the people I love.
6. If you could spend a day as an animal what animal would you want to be? This one's easy. One of my cats. Spoiled little monsters.
7. If you could have a thousand dollar gift card to one store, which store would it be? I think Amazon.com.....yeah, that would be cool.
8. If you could anonymously grant a wish, whose would you grant? My hubby's wish to be pain free. I would really like to see the person he could be without the constant pain (so this might me my wish too, not just his)
9. What flavor evokes the strongest memory for you? This one is tough.... Lemon. Lemon makes me think of Lemon Meringue Pie and that makes me think of my grandmother. She made the best pies.
10. If you had to choose coffee or alcohol to give up for life, which one would go? Ha! This one is super easy because I don't drink either. Coffee smells so good, but tastes terrible to me. We don't even own a coffee pot. And I never developed the taste for alcohol. By the time I thought I might want to give it a try I was a diabetic and it just seemed a waste of carbs. But don't you even think about touching my morning Diet Dr. Pepper (preferably from Sonic with vanilla and extra ice).
11. What is your biggest dream? I have no answer for this. It's been a really long time since I let myself dream. I have actually been toying with a blog post about this, but I haven't found the right words yet. So, I'll have to get back to you on this.....


Okay, so that's all the questions from both Larissa and Rennata. Now I am supposed to tell you 11 random things about myself. I think I'm going to save that for Friday. Tomorrow is Thursday Thankfulness, so I think I might take a break from the Liebster for that. But we will finish this up on Friday, I promise!

Thanks for stopping by today!

This is for you! 

Liebster Award part 2

To recap, I was nominated for this:

Source

by Larissa over at Papa is a Preacher. Yesterday I started answering Larissa's questions. I answered 1-5 with the intention to answer 6-11 today. But a funny thing happened when I was doing a little blog reading yesterday. I was over at Growing Unique catching up on my reading. I was excited to see that Rennata got a Liebster too and was reading her post when I got down to her nominations and found my name. Wow! 2 Liebsters! How cool is that? I was so excited to see my name on her list! It's so nice to find that your words are valued by other people whose words speak to you so often.

So, now I have 11 more questions to answer! My new revised plan for the week is to answer questions 6-11 of Larissa's questions today and start on Rennata's questions on Wednesday. 

Lets' take a look at those questions:

From Larissa: 

1. A childhood memory. Done

2. One of your biggest fears. Done

3. Something you wish you knew at 18. Done

4. Five things you cannot leave the house without. Done

5. Favorite U.S. President. Why? Done

*find my answers here.

Today's questions: 

6. Something on your bucket-list. (Or simply something you really want to do someday.) To travel, I would love to visit all 50 states and travel abroad. Of course, I have some serious anxiety issues to overcome before that will happen! 

7. Polkadots, stripes or chevron? To look at: Polkadots. To wear, none of the above. Solid colors for this girl.

8. A place you think everyone should visit! Anywhere that sparks your interest!

9. If you could change one thing about 2012, what would it be? I think I would have started blogging sooner. I started this blog in August, and it has really been a blessing. Also, I think I might have reconsidered buying my hubby a table saw for his birthday (he almost cut his thumb off 2 1/2 months ago on the thing). ;-)

10. Something you like about yourself.  I have a pretty quirky sense of humor.

11. Sunset or sunrise? Both ;-)

Tomorrow I will tackle these questions from Rennata (for Wednesday): 

1. What is your favorite scent.
2. If cost was not a factor, where would your next vacation be?
3.  If you could spend an hour in the past, when would you want to visit?
4. If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be?
5. What superpower would you want to have?
6. If you could spend a day as an animal what animal would you want to be?
7. If you could have a thousand dollar gift card to one store, which store would it be?
8. If you could anonymously grant a wish, whose would you grant?
9. What flavor evokes the strongest memory for you?
10. If you had to choose coffee or alcohol to give up for life, which one would go?
11. What is your biggest dream?

amen!

Liebster Award, part 1

I told you yesterday about winning this:

source

If you missed it, you can read more about the award here.

Anyway, I thought the best place to start fulfilling my Liebster obligations would be by listing the questions and tackling a few. Here's the list from Larissa at Papa is a Preacher:

The Chosen Questions: 

1. A childhood memory.

2. One of your biggest fears.

3. Something you wish you knew at 18.

4. Five things you cannot leave the house without.

5. Favorite U.S. President. Why?

6. Something on your bucket-list. (Or simply something you really want to do someday.)

7. Polkadots, stripes or chevron? 

8. A place you think everyone should visit!

9. If you could change one thing about 2012, what would it be?

10. Something you like about yourself.

11. Sunset or sunrise?

Here's my plan:

• Monday (today) I will answer questions 1-5
• Tuesday I will answer 6-11
• Wednesday I will share 5 facts about myself
• Thursday I will share 6 more, for a total of 11
• Friday I will give my list of nominees for the award (this gives me all week to procrastinate over who to choose)

So, let's get started!

1.  A childhood memory. This one is harder than you might think. First of all, I have a terrible memory. Especially concerning my childhood. My hubby remembers everything, which is a source of endless fascination for me. I guess one of my favorite memories is my mom reading to me from one of the many "Raggedy Ann" books I had. I think I had the whole series, and I loved to listen to her read them. 
2. One of your biggest fears. Failure. Everyone says that, I guess. For me it's more about failing God or my family. 
3. Something you wish you knew at 18. Life is hard. So much harder than I ever imagined. And worth every minute. Cherish your family and friends. (2 things, I know, but both so important).
4. Five things you cannot leave the house without. My mp3 player, cellphone, keys, wallet, & glucose monitor. That will get me through any work day. On the weekends I try not to leave the house, but if I do I generally only need my wallet, keys, cellphone, and husband! :-)
5. Favorite U.S. President. Why? I cheated on this. I asked my husband. He follows the history of our wonderful country much closer than me and I trust his judgement. He says Reagan and when asked why he says because he was tough when he needed to be and he successfully began the work with Russia to end the Cold War. 

Okay, that's it for today. Tomorrow  we will work on 6-11. See you then!

Sunday thoughts and some pictures...

It's Sunday, the day I usually reserve for sharing with you the inspiration I have picked up in cyberspace. Problem is I am behind on my blog reading and Twitter hasn't offered much in the way of inspiration this week. But have no fear! I did find some inspiration out there, and I am almost never at a loss of thoughts to share (inspiring or otherwise).

First, let's talk about goals. Last Wednesday I wrote about what a great procrastinator I am and how I am trying to change that. (You can read more here) To help motivate myself I have linked up with Rennata over at Growing Unique and posted a short list of goals for the week. Here they are:

1. Finish scrapbook by Friday. This must be done in order to get it on time.
2. Work on cross stitch. I have been working on this for a coworker for roughly 5 years. It was supposed to be a wedding present. She has 2 kids now. I am not kidding.
3. Get back to my journaling. 

I am happy to say that I can cross #1 off my list! The book is done and ordered, and I think my friend will like it. I hope so, anyway. 
Unfortunately, #2 & #3 on my list have not been successful. And by that I mean I have not even touched either the cross stitch or the journal. So, those stay on the list, and I am going to add some new things. But I have not been completely lazy! I spent some time working on Christmas cards for my church this week, getting addresses on envelopes and such so that all my Pastor has to do is sign the cards and put on a stamp. I am in charge of the Birthday card ministry at church and took this Christmas card project as a way of helping him out. And it was worth it, I wish you could have seen his face when I handed him the first stack of cards. It was a wonderful feeling, being able to take some of the burden off him in some small way! My other accomplishment this week was helping my hubby install a new pool liner in our above ground pool. Yes, in December. We had no choice as the other one died a couple of weeks back and it was either take the pool down or install a new liner. So we did. And managed to not kill each other. I think that's a pretty huge accomplishment. (Cyber high-five's all around!)

Here's my list for the upcoming week:

1. Work on cross stitch.
2. Get back to my journaling. 
3. Prepare Christmas cards and gifts for work Christmas Party on Friday.
4. Spend more time in prayer*

*I actually have 1 more to add to the list, but I want to talk a little bit about #4 first. I have a calling as a prayer warrior. I know that as a believer, we are all called to pray, but I have known for a while now that I have a special directive to pray. I have tried to take the easy road on this, I started a Facebook prayer group almost 2 years ago at God's leading and then I sort of stepped back and tried to stay in the background. Sort of a "here you go God" moment. But He was not satisfied with that, and eventually I realized that His head is harder than mine and I needed to just do things his way. And it has been a great blessing. The Facebook prayer page is a wonderful place, where I find so much support and love. And this past spring I helped to revive a prayer group at work. Basically I send out weekly prayer emails and we meet once a month to pray for any needs of our work family. That has also been a huge blessing to me. But, as with most things in life, I allowed myself to get bogged down and distracted and I lost my focus on prayer. Then this week I had a great reminder when a coworker sent me a message through Facebook asking me to pray about some health problems she is dealing with. She was so kind and thankful just to be able to ask me. It reminded me that praying for needs is a blessing. It has always blessed me as much or more than the person I am praying for. And I need to keep it central in my life. So, I am striving to set aside some time for both prayer groups and for time in the word to inspire my prayer life. 

      5. Accept my award....what award you say?? The Liebster!!

Source

Cool, right?? Larissa over at Papa is a Preacher awarded me last week, but I have been too busy to give it the thought it deserves. For those of you not familiar with the Liebster, here is the description that Larissa provided in her blog post:

" The Liebster Blog Award is an award given from bloggers to bloggers that are small to medium in size or up and coming in the blog-sphere.  Liebster is German for favorite.  The award is a way to give beginning bloggers some worthy attention, make connections and let readers learn a little more about you. "

The award comes with a list of 11 questions I have to answer, then I have to list 11 facts about myself, and finally chose 11 other blogs to award the Liebster to (although Larissa changed that number to 5 in her's, so I might be fiddling with that number, we'll see.) Normally, this is all done in one blog post, but I think I might play around with it some and spread it out over the week. It's a bit less overwhelming that way and allows time for focusing on my other goals.

Now, how about a few pictures?

This week is all me, pictures taken with my cellphone camera. I hope you enjoy them.

A cross on the Christmas Tree at Church

Ornaments on the Church Tree

A cool picture I took last weekend

Maggie, sleeping cuteness

Last, I'll leave you with some "Textgram" inspiration. I am loving this app on my phone, even though it's really a time suck and I need to be focusing on other things! :-)

I am going to link this blog with Larissa over here for her Tidbit Thursday (even though it's Sunday) & with Renneta here for her Setting goals Sunday. I encourage you to check them both out and consider linking up if you blog! Happy Sunday everyone and have a blessed week!

1 more, just for grins!