Blog Awards

Hi all… sorry for my continued absence!  I really need to step it up and get back into the swing of things….

In the meantime, I was nominated for two more blog awards!

The first was The Liebster Blog Award from Katy over at katy brandes writes: Thank you so much Katy!

The Rules: Winners answer 11 questions provided by whoever tagged you, provide 11 facts about yourself, and choose 11 followers to bestow the award upon, so long as they have 200 or less followers.

Katy’s 11 questions

1. Comedy or drama (reading, movies or tv)? I like both for all three of those categories.  Depends on my mood, really.
2. Shelfari or goodreads? Goodreads
3. What is the first book you remember reading? Oh jeez, this is a tough one…I’d say probably the Little House on the Prairie Book set…
4.  Why do you blog? To talk about books with people who are interested in them too
5. What is your favorite reading genre? hmmm I go through phases, but I’d say historical fiction
6. Do you own an e-reader?  (why/why not) I do.  It makes it easier to carry books around, especially when I take the train to go places. (I always make sure it’s charged and carry it in my bag)
7. Who is your favorite author? I don’t know if I really have a favorite one because I rarely read every book a single author has written…
8. How do you feel about popular book recommendations? Depends on if I’m interested in the genre, first of all.  But generally I’ll at least check it out…
9. What book would you never read even if you were paid to do so? I would almost say Fifty Shades of Grey here, but I’m kind of on the fence and sort of want to see what all the craze is about for myself…and I kind of want to read it because I think all the negative reviews that rip it apart are hysterical and want to see if it really is that bad…  but I don’t know if there are any other books, though I wouldn’t re-read Freedom by Jonathan Franzen again even for money…
10. New rock or classic rock? Both
11. Do you create a playlist in your mind while reading a book? No I don’t think I ever have, actually…

11 Facts about myself
I’m running out of things to say since  most of the blog awards ask for random facts….

1. Real Genius is my favorite Val Kilmer movie
2. I want to get my own sewing machine to make things on my own (and not just in class)
3. I’m attending my first bachelorette party this weekend!
4. I wish I could travel all over the world without money being an issue
5. I’ve tried to learn Italian using Rosetta Stone, but just haven’t stuck with it.
6. I feel guilty/embarrassed when I say I may want to read 50 Shades of Grey (see reasons in question #9 above)
7. My boyfriend, M., and I just celebrated our 5th anniversary this week
8.  Every anniversary M & I try out a new steakhouse in the area (though we’ve gone on other occasions, too, so we’ve been to at least7 steakhouses that I can think of  in the last 5 years)
9. I think I joined too many book challenges this year and will probably cut back next year.
10. I’m going to Aruba in 5 weeks for my cousin’s destination wedding, making it my third trip to Aruba
11. I’ve gone on another unintentional knitting hiatus and miss it and really need to get back into it

11 questions for the people I pick
1. What is your favorite book read in 2012? (does not have to be released in 2012)
2. Have you read any of the books in the Song of Ice and Fire series? Why/why not?
3. What is your opinion of 50 Shades of Grey?
4. How long have you blogged?
5.  Do you do anything crafty?
6. What country are you from?
7. What countries/states have you traveled to?
8. Do you like to participate in weekly memes? Which ones?
9. What is your guilty pleasure tv show/book/movie?
10. What tips/pointers do you have for blogging?
11. Is there a book you love that you want to be a movie, as long as it was done the right way? Why/Why not?  Which one?

11 bloggers
(there are some I would have put on here, but they have more than 200 followers)

1. Did You Make That?
2. midnight coffee monster
3. Lucy’s Football
4. lyndawithaycrawford
5. katy brandes writes (yup, sending it back to you!)
6. The Middlest Sister
7. Cotton Handy
8. dressesandme
9. The Tiger’s Eye
10.The Oddness of Moving Things
11.wantoncreation

The second award was from the Literary Tiger and is called The Booker Award: Thank you very much!!

The Booker Award is an award for blogs whose content are at least 50% about books (reading and writing are okay too.)

The Rules

1.  Nominate other blogs (they say between 5-10), but nominate as many or as few as you want.  Don’t forget to let your recipients know.

2.  Post the Booker Award picture.

3.  Share your top 5 books of all time.

Top 5 Books  (“All-time” is pretty intense…these are the first that I thought of…)
1. A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin
2.  Timeline by Michael Chrichton
3.  Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
5. Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

Nominated Blogs
1. Should Be Reading
2. Green Paw Paw
3. The Librarian Who Doesn’t Say Shhh
4. Adventures in Borkdom
5. snobbery

 

Sorry for such a long delay in posting and thank you again for the “nominations”!  It feels great to know there are people out there who read (and apparently enjoy!) my blog.

Now I have to go tell everyone I’ve sent the awards their way…

Here I Am…

…Sort of.

Hi all… sorry for my continued absence!  I really need to step it up and get back into the swing of things….

Recently, I was nominated for two more blog awards!

The first was The Liebster Blog Award from Katy over at katy brandes writes: Thank you so much Katy!

The second award was from the Literary Tiger and is called The Booker Award: Thank you very much!!

I’m working on a post to fulfill all the “rules” for these and will post it soon, but I wanted to make sure both of these ladies knew I appreciated the nod!

 I am still reading (books & blogs), I just haven’t been posting.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

~*~

OH! Also, I received my prize from the Armchair BEA the other day!  A boxed set of note cards and three really lovely journals based on prints created by John Robshaw.  I’ll post pictures later because I’m having issues with my camera (it fell in the river when I was camping last weekend..it’s finally turning on and taking pictures but they’re not registering on my computer…technology and I are apparently in a fight).

Sunshine Award

I recently received the Sunshine Award from Kelly at reading with analysis.  Thanks so much Kelly!!

The Sunshine Award in given by bloggers to other “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.” (thanks for the definition Kelly).

As with most of the other blog awards out there, this one has a few rules…

1. Thank the person who gave me this award in a blog post.
2.  Answer the questions listed below.
3. Pass on the award to 10 deserving and inspiring bloggers, inform them, and link to their blogs.

The questions:

1. Favorite Color:  I’d say blue, but sometimes I go through phases where I appreciate other colors. I think the time of year may have an effect on that.
2. Favorite Animal:  Wolves & penguins (I have a penguin tattoo )
3. Favorite Number:  11
4. Favorite Drink:  Non alcoholic: water, alcoholic: frozen mudslides, yum!
5. Facebook or Twitter:  I’ve had Facebook since 2005 when my college first got access to it (that was back when you needed a college email address to set up an account…about a year after it was created).  Now it’s just one of those things that I check occasionally (but I do think it’s a bit out of control).  As for Twitter I didn’t use it for the LONGEST time, didn’t see the point.  But I find it useful for promoting my blog, so that’s my primary reason.
6. Your Passion:  Life, family.  I love to read and create things (I do some basic knitting and I’m learning how to sew)
7. Giving or getting presents:  I love giving presents.  One of my favorite things around Christmas is wrapping presents to give!  Sometimes, for birthdays, I get too excited if I know the person is going to love the gift and tend to give it to them before their birthday…
8. Favorite Day:  Saturday (
9. Favorite Flowers:  Sunflowers and gerbera daisies

The new recipients:

1. Snobbery
2. Shhh…Mommy’s Blogging…
3. Love and a Six-Foot Leash
4. Red Lips and Academics
5. Adventures in Borkdom
6. The Oddness of Moving Things
7. Mrs. Pea’s Perspectives
8. Highest Form of Whit
9. Should Be Reading
10. Second Lunch

All of these blogs have inspired me with my blog in their own ways and helped me to better my blog.  So thank you, to each of you!

There are many other blogs out there that are fun and interesting to read, too!  Have fun exploring the blogosphere!!

Reader Appreciation Award

A big thank you to theotherwatson over at wantoncreation for giving me the Reader Appreciation Award!  It’s great to know that my comments (however brief) are appreciated.

In turn, based on the rules he has posted, I am to link back to his site (check), include the image (check), write what’s new with me, and pass the award along to 6 other people.

I think this is a great award because it’s a great way to express our gratitude to the people who read and comment on what we write.  For me, it gives me a sense of accomplishment to know that I’ve reached someone in some way that they want to comment on my posts, and I appreciate it.  I started this blog as a way to get reading and books out to people, certainly not the most original idea by far, but I’m glad there are people out there who read what I write.  Over the past few months, I have noticed that my blog has evolved into more than just about books and I’m happy for that.  (And I’m happy people are still following me, with new ones coming every week!).

So what’s new with me? hmmmm  Well, I’ve completed 5 sewing classes and they’re really fun.  I’m super busy at work and can’t believe it’s already been 2 months since I started the job.  I really like all of the people that I work with and for and they’re all great.  One of my cousins is having a baby boy and I knitted a little hat for him and I’m hoping to actually start a blanket I cast on a couple weeks ago…  I’ve been reading The Count of Monte Cristo…  I guess that’s really it right now.

Okay, without further ado, without the people listed below, I don’t think I’d be as involved with my blogging and so what better way to thank you than to pass the Reader Appreciation Award on to you?

SJ at Snobbery
Jessica at Shhh…Mommy’s Blogging…
Mandy at Adventures in Borkdom
Geoff at The Oddness of Moving Things
Mrs. Pea at Mrs. Pea’s Perspectives
Tanya at Green Paw Paw
Valentina at Peek-a-Book

(and of course, I’m sending it back to theotherwatson!)

While I may have only listed a few, this does not mean I do not appreciate all of my readers.  I do!! I honestly appreciate every single one of you that has stopped by and even skimmed something I wrote.  I love interacting with all of you.  And you can be sure that every time I get a comment from someone new, I hop on over to his/her blog to meet a new fellow blogger as soon as I’ve responded to the comment.

So THANK YOU so much to all of you!

One More…

So I didn’t realize that I had been given another award.  Let’s call it a “technical award”.  It is given to the top 5 people who comment on your blog.  I received it from Jessica at Shhh…Mommy’s Blogging…  Thanks

Created by SJ at Snobbery, this award goes out to the five readers who comment the most on your blog.

In addition to showing the comment love (and using the awesome graphic) each recipient (who wants to accept the award) must answer the following 9 questions and then pass the award on to their top 5.

1. What is your third favourite colour? Purple
2. Would you rather be:  a Jedi, a Pokemon Master or a Wizard/Witch?  Choose ONE I’d want to be a witch. (“It’s leviOsa, not levioSAH”)
3. Who is your favourite Doctor? I’m ashamed to say I have yet to watch Doctor Who (I know!), but I have it on my Netflix instant queue, I swear I do!
4. Can you whistle? Yes, the regular way and through my teeth (but I’m not missing any teeth!)
5. Would you name your child Sirius Albus? While I love the namesakes, no I would not name my child Sirius Albus.
6. What is the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything? cookies
7. Do you own a lawnmower? Nope.
8. Do you think Legolas is a (very pretty) pansy? HA! perhaps
9. What’s the trashiest thing you’ve read in the last year?  Should we [Snobbery] cover it for Trashy Tuesday? Hmmm, to be honest, it was probably a Trashy Tuesday post on Snobbery!

My top 5 who get this award:

1. The Nate Gatsby

2. Mrs. Pea’s Perspective

3. Geoff at the Oddness of Moving Things

4. Jessica @ Shhh…Mommy’s Blogging…

5. Valentina @ PeeK-a-BooK

I’d Like to Thank the Academy…

Just kidding.  For real, though,  I’d like to thank Mandy over at Adventures in Borkdom for awarding my blog with the Beautiful Blogger Award and the Versatile Blogger Award.  (Not sure about the whole repeat thing, but if I could give them back to you, I totally would!)

I’m so excited!  I’m so new to blogging so I certainly wasn’t expecting any awards…I’m still not Freshly Pressed and have yet to reach even 100 views in one day!

The Beautiful Blogger Award:

• Thank the person who gave you the award
• Paste the award on your blog
• Link the person who nominated you for the award
• Nominate 7 bloggers or less
• Post links to the 7 blogs you nominated

I look forward to reading each of these whenever I see a new post or get an alert that there is a new post.

1. Findingravity

I enjoy reading Carley’s posts and love her writing style.

2. Love and a Six Foot Leash

I’m in love with Sir Chick and Snickerdoodle and love reading about them (especially Chix-a-lot Fridays!)

3. *kind of* a grownup

One of my best friends who always has something interesting to say. She’s one of the people I always turn to for advice.  :)

4. Should Be Reading

I participate in a couple of MizB’s weekly memes (Musing Mondays & WWW Wednesdays) and have found new blogs to follow through her blog. I’ve also found some great book recommendations.

5. The Waiting

It’s great reading about Emily’s journey through her pregnancy (and now reading about the beginnings of motherhood!)

6. Mrs. Pea’s Perspective

Mrs. Pea (Margaret) is just so crafty and she has some great craft ideas! (and we have the same blog layout! hehe)

7. Shhh…Mommy’s Blogging…

Jessica is one of my best commentors and always has something great to say, offer, or suggest.  I really enjoy reading her blog and look forward to whenever a new post comes out!

The Versatile Blogger Award:

Thank the person who gave you this award. That’s common courtesy.

• Include a link to their blog. That’s also common courtesy — if you can figure out how to do it.
• Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly. ( I would add, pick blogs or bloggers that are excellent!)
• Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award — you might include a link to this site.
• Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

The link to Mandy’s blog is up at the top of this post where I thanked her!

15?  Okay, while I decide which blogs to give this award to, I will come up with my 7 random fun facts.

Let’s see…

1. I’m 26 years old and don’t have my driver’s license yet.

2. I’m left-handed.

3. I’m obsessed with Neal Caffery from the TV show White Collar (he’s so handsome).

Neal Caffrey (played by Matt Bomer) yum.

4. I can quote pretty much all of Spaceballs.

Spaceballs, 1987

5. I have 4 tattoos.

6. I’m obsessed with Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. (though I think my obsession for HP has waned slightly…)

7. I danced for 10 years throughout elementary and high schools (always ballet and jazz, but tap and acrobatics were thrown in there for a short while…acrobatics a very short while!) and competed in multiple competitions, including a National Competition held in Las Vegas – UNLV (and a testament to my HP obsession: I remember my mom asking a family friend to pick up the newest book for us – I think it was Chamber of Secrets – since we would be at the competition when it came out on bookshelves).

Okay, the bloggers I’m giving this award to…
Some of these may have already received the award, but I don’t know whether you can receive it more than once, so if not…oh well!
Most of those are on WordPress, but a few are outside of it.  Each of these is a great blog to check out whenever you get the time.  You may notice that most tend to fall under the book blog category (but let’s face it, I’m a book blog, so I’m more likely to read those).  However, everyone always ends up posting more than their intended topic, right?  It’s great getting to know people through their writing, and you can do that with each of the following blogs.

1. thetwentysomethingblog

2. Snobbery

3. Bookblob

4. Red Lips and Academics

5. I Can’t High Five

6. Sarah Smiles Awhile

7. The Oddness of Moving Things

8. Highest Form of Whit

9. But What Is My Life?!

10. Second Lunch
Hysterical blog/comic combo

11. The Librarian Who Doesn’t Say Shhh

12. Beth Fish Reads

13. Sarah Reads Too Much

14. The Broke and the Bookish

15. The Ivy Cottage Blog

Thanks again to Mandy!  I really appreciate it