A Blog Award

homeschooljewelrymom  at Stitches, Scraps and Sparkles in the Sun has nominated me for the Liebster Award.

Thank you so much, homeschooljewelrymom!!!

The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.  The meaning of Liebster in German means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.  Blogging is about building a community and it's a great way to connect with other bloggers and help spread the word about new bloggers/blogs.

There are a few rules to follow:

1)  Post 11 random facts about myself

2)  Answer 11 questions the awarding blogger has asked

3)  Nominate 11 blogs with less than 200 followers, add their links to this post, and let them know they've been nominated

4)  Create 11 questions the nominated blogs have to answer

**Participation in the blog award isn't required, but it's a great way to spread the word about your blog.**

To get started, here are 11 random facts about myself:

1) I love the color purple!  But I never wear it.  I wear a lot of gray and blues.

2)  I have a lot of food allergies, which came on after I turned 20.  I love peanut butter and shrimp and I'm very allergic to both of them.  It sucks.  Especially when Peanut Butter Panic is my favorite ice cream!

3)  Fall (or Autumn) is my favorite season of the year.  I love being outdoors and enjoy camping, but I only like to camp in the Spring or the Fall.

4)  Christmas is my favorite holiday.  I LOVE the whole spirit of Christmas and the holiday season.

5)  I come from a big farming family.  I have 5 sisters and 1 brother.  My dad was a farmer as well as a business owner (feed & seed store and also a radiator & welding business).

5)  I know how to weld.  I also know how to clean out a radiator.  Crazy, right?

6)  I used to ride a motorcycle.  Then I became a mom.  No more motorcycle.  It scared my dad silly that I would ride my oldest child on it with me.

7)  I love to learn new things.  It's a passion with me.  It's embarrassing when others remark on it and I usually won't admit that I'm naturally smart.  Please don't take that as conceit as it's not meant that way.  My sisters always remark that school came too easy for me when they had to work at it.  It bugs me that it was like that for them.

8)  I enjoy working Sudoku puzzles.  I think it keeps my brain working.

9)  I love the water and I enjoy swimming.  My favorite thing to do is lie on a raft and suntan at the pool.

10)  I have a couple of bad habits.  I smoke and I drink Diet Mountain Dew.  I drink soda all the time.  It's not good for me, and I know it.  But I can't seem to stop.  I've cut down on the smoking and hope to quit within the next 9 months.

11)  I wish I was an artist.  But my artistic talent is very limited.  I've had no training what-so-ever, but it's still my desire.  I would also like to write again.  I used to write cookbooks.

Here are my 11 questions from homeschooljewelrymom:

1)  What is your favorite color?  Purple

2)  What type of music do you listen to the most?  This is a hard one to answer because I listen to a wide variety of music each and every day.  My favorite type of music is Classic Country featuring Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty, Faron Young, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash, and so on.

3)  How long have you been crocheting/knitting?  I learned to crochet during 4-H when I was about 10, so I've been crocheting for approximately 38 years.  I taught myself to knit about a year and a half ago.

4)  Do you have a favorite "go-to" pattern?  I have several that I use all the time.  Here are a few of them.

http://sarahsprojects.blogspot.com/2010/05/living-room-afghan-pattern.html

http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/neat-ripple-pattern.html

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/a-very-simple-skateboarder-beanie

5)  Have you ever made an item for charity?  Yes.  I have made booties that I donated to a hospital as well as lapghans for the nursing home.

6) What would you do if you crocheted/knitted something for someone and they hated it?  This has actually happened to me.  My own daughter hates most of the stuff I make for her.  I ask first now and then I have much less disappointment when I try to give her something.  I also know that not to make her a lot of things as she's just not the type of person that likes a lot of homemade items.

7)  What is your favorite dessert and why?  I love brownies, which is funny because I don't like chocolate.  I like them because they aren't like cake and they are very moist and chewy.

8)  Who is the one person you can't live without?  This is a really hard question.  There isn't just one person as I couldn't see myself living without my three kids.

9)  If crocheting/knitting became a crime, would you still do it?  Yes.  While I was sitting in jail.

10)  Who is your favorite author?  I have several, as I love to read.  But my favorite for now is Charlaine Harris.

11)  What do you like to do the least?  Pay bills and do housework.  They are equally gross, in my opinion.

My 11 nominees for the award are:

Laura at Love The Blue Bird

Lynne at Pieceful
Tess at Driftwood
Robin at My Nest of Yarn and Buttons
Nicole at Nicole and the Bee
Amanda at Crafty in the Med
Jo at Three Stories High
Barbara at Busy Fingers, Busy Life
Mimi at Mimi's World
Martina at Go Bunt
Chrissie at Chrissie Crafts
and one extra....Una at Great Balls of Wool

11 Questions for the Chosen Bloggers:

1)  What is your favorite item to crochet/knit?
2) Have you ever done any yarn-bombing?  If so, describe it.
3)  Do you belong to a crochet/knit club?
4)  What is your favorite thing to cook?
5)  Do you have a favorite yarn to work with?

6)  Do you enjoy sports?  If so, what is your favorite?
7)  What is your favorite TV show?
8)  Are you a coffee or a tea person?
9)  Do you grow a garden (containers count)?
10)  Do you have a pet?
11)  What is your pet peeve?

Once again, thanks so much to HomeSchoolJewelryMom for the award nomination!
Shelly