The Liebster Award {Discover New Bloggers}

Jennifer at Jenuine Happiness and Leslie at This is for Keeps both nominated me for the Liebster Award last week.  Both of these ladies are just beautiful inside and out.  They are the best mommies to their sweet babies and I love following along on their journeys of motherhood with them.  Thanks so much for the nomination, ladies!

My 11 Questions

*Since I was nominated by two different people, I answered half of the questions from one person and half from the other.

What is your favorite part about blogging?

My favorite part of blogging is definitely knowing that I am creating a keepsake for our kids to look back on one day.  I mean, how cool would it be if your parents had been able to do that for you??  Can you imagine having all of your birthday parties and weekends and holidays documented from when you were little?  That would be so neat! 

What would your perfect day entail?

My perfect day would entail sleeping in until 8:30 or 9 (uninterrupted), followed by spending the whole morning with Brian and the babies – a delicious breakfast (preferably something sweet – donuts, pancakes, French toast, etc.), a walk down by the river or a walk in the park, no tantrums and lots of hugs and kisses.  I would follow that with lunch with my mom and dad, just the three of us, because I never get to see them without the kids anymore.  Finally, I would squeeze in a little more time with the kiddos in the afternoon, followed by a date night with Brian – dinner at one of our favorite restaurants where we would eat steak and share a bottle of wine, take a stroll hand-in-hand downtown, and then meet up with all of our friends at a jazz bar to listen to some good live music.  Sounds like heaven.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?

I’ve already traveled all over the United States, but I’ve never left the country, so probably somewhere overseas.  London, Rome, Paris, Santorini, Fiji, Bora Bora, Ireland.  I could go on…

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

This one’s easy – a teacher.  Man, I wanted to be a teacher from the time I was old enough to write until I was in junior high or so.  One Christmas maybe around third grade, all I asked for were school supplies, so Santa brought me a stapler, a hole-punch, and lots of writing utensils and notebooks.  I was in heaven.  I still, to this day, adore school supplies and stationary.  I’m totally addicted.  And in case you didn't know, I did not grow up to be a teacher... I realized that my patience was lacking a bit for that job.  Haha.

What do you look forward to most each day?

Seeing my babies’ faces when they get home from school!  I work full-time and I miss them all day.  It’s always the best thing to see their faces light up when they see me.  It makes me feel so good!  (Although some days Jacob comes home in a terrible mood in which case I usually wish that I could send him back to school – haha.)

What is your favorite social media platform?

Instagram for sure!  That’s how I’ve met many of you wonderful ladies!  It’s such a great place to network.  It was also my favorite because it has always been chronological, and I like things in order.  Now that they’re about to change that, my love for Insta might just fade…

If you could give others one piece of advice, what would it be?

Be yourself and be confident.  During my teenage years I was always so uncertain about everything and I didn’t have a lot of confidence.  I was always worried about what others thought.  Well, I’ve learned that it really doesn’t matter what others think as long as you are happy with yourself.  Not to say that I still don’t care at all what others think… I mean, I am human, and I do have feelings, but at least now I am happy and comfortable in my own shoes.  I am still pretty awkward around people I don’t know, though…

Which is your favorite post of those you have written?

My very favorite post would have to be my very first post that I ever did – Olivia's Pink and Gold First Birthday.  The post I did regarding my miscarriage would probably be a close second as I poured my heart into it since it was the first time that I had ever opened up about it.

What’s your favorite room in your house and why?

Definitely my office.  It’s my sanctuary.  I am very serious about my alone time and I love to just go in there on the weekend while the kids are napping, shut out the world, turn on some tunes, and create stuff.  I’m hoping to post about it in my home tour next Tuesday.  If you’d like to see past home tours you can click here.

What was the last thing you ordered online?

Oh lawd, I just racked up at Old Navy!  They had the entire website 40% off last week and I ordered 29 things for Jacob, Olivia, and myself (combined, not each.  Lol.)  As a matter of fact, a bunch of it just delivered yesterday and I’m in heaven!

Tell me about your pet(s) if you have any.

We have a sweet little yorkie-poo named Maui.  She weighs just under 4 lbs. fully grown and she is the sweetest little thing ever.  She never barks, she adores our kids, and she loves to snuggle with me.  Brian and I got her in 2010 before we had human babies and she’s been a joy (and sometimes a pain) ever since!

11 Random Facts about Me

1 – I am a published writer.  One of my poems was published in the Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans in 1995 when I was in 8^th grade.  I still have a copy of the book.

2 – I am in a Cuba Gooding, Jr. movie.  The Fighting Temptations was filmed here in our hometown and I was in the final scene when they’re singing on stage.  You can barely see me… I’m just a tiny speck in one of the last rows in the audience, but I know where I am and can point to myself on the screen.  I got to see Cuba Gooding, Jr., Beyonce, Rue McClanahan (from the Golden Girls), Montell Jordan, and a bunch of other people first hand.  As a matter of fact, Montell Jordan came and sat down right beside me during a break from filming.  It was really neat. 

3 – I don’t like different foods on my plate to touch each other.

4 – I’m the eldest of three.  I have two younger brothers.

5 – I am a self-proclaimed Georgia Peach, but I was actually born in Florida.  It was just a fluke, though.  My parents had only moved away for less than two years and I just so happened to be born while they were there.  I’ve lived in Georgia since I was 1.5 so I think that counts for something…

6 – My whole life I always said that I wanted a boy first and then a girl, and that’s exactly what I got.

7 – I’ve seen all of the episodes of Friends so many times that I can recite most of all of the episodes.  I’m not even exaggerating. 

8 – My cousin married Matthew Perry’s sister in 2014 and I got to meet him at their wedding.  And I was pretty much speechless even though my brain was screaming at me to hug him, take pictures with him, and quote Chandler Bing.  I just tried my best to keep my composure so I didn’t embarrass my family.  I don’t even really like mentioning it here because I don’t want to make a big deal out of it for my cousin’s sake.  I’ve just been a fan of his for so long that it’s completely surreal.  And his sister is just the loveliest girl.  I wish she lived closer so we could see her more often than once a year at Christmas.

9 – I hate being late.  I don’t even like being on time.  I like being early.

10 – When I sit in a restaurant, I like to be smack in the middle seat (so I can talk to everyone at the table and not be left out on the end) and I like to sit on the side facing the majority of the room and preferably the door.  I can’t stand facing the wall.  It gives me the heebie jeebies. 

11 – I hate fish and any kind of seafood and I don’t eat anything on a bone.  Yes, I know I’m from the south, but I just don’t do fried chicken.  Seeing bones and veins and fat makes me lose my appetite. 

My Nominees

Several of the ladies whom I love so dearly have already participated, but here are a few who I don’t think have participated yet.  And forgive me if I'm wrong, I've seen a lot of these lately.  :o)

Jessica at Little Bits of Joy

Danielle at Sparkles and Lattes

Amy at Keepin' Up With the Smiths

Marie at Family and the Lake House

Lizzie at This Happy Life

Laura at Oh Laura Darling

Stefanie at Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam, and Dylan Too

My Questions for You

-Why did you start blogging?

-What are your goals for your blog?

-If you could have one wish what would it be?

-If you won the lottery what would you do with the money?

-What is your biggest insecurity?

-What is your favorite travel destination?

-Have you ever met anyone famous?  If so, who?

-What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?

-What is your favorite meal?

-What is your favorite holiday and why?

-What are three items that you couldn’t live without?

The Official Rules of the Liebster Award

Thank the blogger that nominated you in your post and link back to their site.
Display the Liebster Award logo on your blog.
Answer the 11 questions from the blogger that nominated you.
Tell your readers 11 random facts about you.
Nominate 5-11 blggers with less than 1000 followers for the Liebster Awards.
Ask your nominees to answer 11 questions.

Thanks again for the nomination, ladies!  I had a great time putting this post together!


*Linking up with Jessi's Design and Going the Distance for What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday.