Liebster Award

[Good Woman apologizes for the length of this post.  Because I am nothing if not a rule follower, I had several sets of questions to answer which means it is very difficult to edit down to what I think would be a reasonable length.]

Oh my goodness.  I am flattered and humbled to be nominated for another award.  I really appreciate it, because although I feel my blog still has a long way to go, it means that my blog is being noticed.  This is an excellent way to give publicity to several other very newer but interesting blogs.  So much about blogging is building community and this is a great way to do it.  This award is specifically for blogs with fewer than 200 followers.

I was actually nominated three times for this award.

The first nomination came from Southp who is a software engineer, husband and father from Taiwan.  There is a language difference so I cannot read much of his blog but it has a great layout and he uses a lot of pictures to get his message out.  The name of his blog in English is “Hello World”.  His acceptance post for the Liebster award is in English, as is an “About” message in the footer of the blog.  There is some beautiful photography to view.  Thank you for the nomination.

The second nomination came from Manasvi of Memoirs of a Wandering Mind.  Although she started blogging in the past this is her first successful sustained effort.  She has shared some very interesting posts.  In her award acceptance post she explains that she blogs to allow her future children to know her.  Her own father passed away and she realized that she did not really know him and she doesn’t want the same for her children.  How touching is that!  Another big thank you.

The third nomination came from Sculpture – Everywhere and Everytime. In her blog SculptureSteph celebrates the art form of sculpture and explains why to her sculpture is preferable to other art forms.  I am amused by a snowman that graces her page because that is a form of sculpture that almost all of us in cold weather climates have experienced.  You say you have never sculpted?  Not true if you ever built a snowman.  Thanks Steph for your nomination.  Take a look at her acceptance blog.

The rules to accept the award are:

1.  Thank and link the person who nominated you.  Check. Check. Check.
   
2.  Answer the questions given by the nominator.  Check.  Check. Check.
   
3.  Nominate 11 other bloggers, who have less than 200 followers and link them.  Check.
4.  Create 11 new questions for the nominees to answer.  Check.
5.  Notify all nominees via social media/blogs.  On my way to do that. Check

I have 3 sets of questions to answer so please bear with me.

QUESTIONS FROM SOUTHP:

1.  Why do you blog?  I started a blog because I was looking for new, meaningful ways to engage my time once I retire so I thought I’d give this a try.  I think I will continue to blog because it is absolutely addicting, and I realize I have a lot to say.  (Watch out!).
2.  If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?  Moscow, Russia to visit a foreign exchange student who lived with us for a year.  She has been back to visit us 3 times and I would like to return the favor.
3.  What’s the most impressive place you’d ever traveled to?  I have never traveled outside the U.S. but one place that truly expired and impressed me was Arlington National Cemetery.  To me it was very moving and unforgettable.
4. If you could choose to gain a super power, what would it be? What would you do about it?  What superpower could bring peace and harmony to the world?  I don’t know if there is such a superpower but that is what I would want.
   
5.  What’s your dream job? How is it comparing your current job?  I am at the end of my career life.  I always wanted to be in a supervisory or management job.  I did that and moved on.  I do not miss dealing with personnel issues although when I did it I managed to be fairly effective.  I loved that job and although very different, I love my current job.  In my opinion it is up to the individual to make a situation beneficial.  You can’t control who you work with but you can control how you let them affect you.
   
6. What’s the worst movie or you’ve ever seen?  I am not a big movie person but the worst genre for me is horror movies.
   
7. What’s the main interest you are developing now?  This blogging business.
8.  Do you have any life-changing moment? If yes, what would it be?  At my age there have been several–but the biggest deal with life and death situations.  Having an extremely premature baby weighing only 2 pounds, 3 ounces and seeing her grow to be happy, healthy and smart was very significant.  Also caring for my husband through his cancer until his death was probably the most important thing I have ever done.  Both of those experiences taught me that I was capable of doing anything if I set my mind to it.
   
9.  What’s your favorite food? Can you recommend one restaurant that super good at it?  Are you kidding me?  One favorite food?  I love food–can I leave it at that?
   
10. What’s the must-visit spot around your hometown? If you could, name a place better known by local people.  I grew up in a small town in Northeastern Wisconsin and the closest big draw would be Lambeau field, the home of the Green Bay Packers, which is probably one of the greatest sport venues anywhere.  Now that I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the greatest draw is the art galleries on Canyon Road, but I would recommend the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and also the Loretto Chapel.
    
11. Where do you see yourself after five years?  Living a life of leisure.

QUESTIONS FROM WANDERING MIND:

1. What was your favorite class in school?  Advanced Composition
   
2.  What is your favorite season and why?  Autumn for its beautiful changing colors and crispness in the air.  It seems so refreshing after the heat of summer.
   
3.  Do you have pets?  I do.  Chelsey is a yellow labrador retriever and Snoopy, our rescue dog, is a piebald (black and white) dachshund.  Both are 13 1/2 years old.  I absolutely love dogs.
4.  What is your favorite childhood memory?  I grew up with seven brothers and sisters and my favorite memories were playing silly kids games with them.
   
5. What is your favorite dessert?  Strawberry shortcake made with baking powder biscuits and lots of whipped cream.
   
6.  What’s the must-visit spot around your hometown? If you could, name a place better known by local people.  See #10 of Southp’s questions above.
   
7.  What are your goals for 2015, if any?  Make a plan for when I will retire and stick to it.
   
8. What are you most grateful for in your life?  This could be the topic of a book and you want a short, concise answer?  Let me say my family and the opportunities I have been provided.
9.  What is your favorite place in this world?  Another cop-out but it would be wherever my loved ones are.
   
10. What would you do if you won the lottery?  Money would not change many things in my life.  Hopefully I would invest wisely, help my grandkids get through college, and give a lot to charity.
    
11. If money was not a concern, what would you most like to buy?  Gosh.  I would probably go with new furniture.  Most of my furniture has moved with me through several homes.
    

QUESTIONS FROM SCULPTURE STEPH:

1. What is your process of writing a post?
   Simply put, I come up with an idea and think it through.  Then I write, write, write, write just as it comes to my mind.  Then I go back and edit.  I will set it aside for a while, go back and look at it and edit further.  My final version tends to be almost half the size of the first draft.  I tend to be excessively wordy.
2. Which time zone are you in? Mountain Standard Time
   
3.  What do you like best in blogging?  The relative anonymity of getting my ideas out there and getting feedback.  (I’m an introvert)
   
4. What other media are you on (facebook, tumblr, instagram) ?  I have a personal Facebook account but my blog is not linked to it.  I feel they are two different worlds.  Nothing else–no instagram, tumblr, twitter, etc.  I have not learned how to use them.
   
5. What is your favorite meal?  See #9 of SouthP’s questions
6. Savory or desert? Which course would you miss in favor of the other?  I probably like dessert the best but I could not forego the savory for dessert.  (I am sweet enough).
   
7.  Which one is the post you are proudest of ?  93,100 Stitches of Love
8. …and why?  It was among the most heartfelt and continues to get the most views.
9.  Are you impulsive or ‘professional’ in your approach to blogging?  I can’t say professional because my approach to my blog is so different from my approach to my job which is definitely professional.  But I really don’t think impulsive describes my approach because I am quite reflective.  Can I say  I have a “relaxed” approach?
   
10. What kind of blog would you love to discover?  Oh, gosh.  I feel I have discovered so many that I can’t think of any topic/theme that I haven’t seen.  I always like to see needle art/crafty ideas.
    
11.  Do you spell color/ colour with ‘o’ only or with ‘ou’? Color (no U)

Nominees.  The hardest part of this whole process is coming up with the nominees.  I have come across many excellent blogs and on the one hand I would like to give all of them publicity but on the other hand I am afraid of missing some great ones.  I would also prefer to find some that have not been nominated very often for awards.  And I cannot always tell if they have less than 200 followers which is one of the requirements.

MY NOMINEES ARE:

• Najric writes the hits you never knew existed
• Lorie Schaefer
• Incidents of an Introverted Life
• My Creative Cosmos
• Storm’s Stitches
• Making It Write
• Midwestern Kitchen
• Likebabybearsoup
• Being Maarthaa
• Bethie’s Place
• Unicorns, Rainbows & Glitter

Nominees:  I have found that accepting the award and paying it forward is a great way to increase blog traffic.  But it is perfectly fine if you choose not to accept.  My apologies if any of you have a “No Award” blog that I may have missed.

QUESTIONS FOR MY NOMINEES:

1.  What is the best advice you ever received?
2.  What is one skill you wish you had, but sadly lack?
3.  How do you fit blogging into your life?
4.  What one post on your blog are you most proud of?
5.  What is your favorite place in the world?
6.  What three words would you use to describe your self?
7.  What is your favorite color and why?
8.  If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
9.  What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
10.  Do you prefer dogs, cats, or neither?  Why?
11.  What personal habit in others annoys you the most?