1) Visit and thank the blogger who nominated you
2) Acknowledge that blogger on your blog and link back
3) Answer the 10 questions posed by the blogger who nominated you
4) Select 3 – 5 bloggers for the award
5) Pose 10 new questions to the new nominees
6) Post the award on your blog
So here are my questions from Holly:
1. How long have you been blogging? According to my archives, they tell me about 2007. I hit my stride in 2008 when I think I had WAAAY too much free time on my hands. Then I decided to move twice (GA-NY and NY-VA), get married, and have a baby (wow a lot has happened in 4 short years!), so free time is something of an endangered species. I blog to share cool things I find, annoyances of the world, delicious recipes, nifty crafts, and and also to just have a place to practice writing.
2. Morning person or night person? Before my son was born, I would say hands down night person. Anywho who knows me knows I do not operate without a cup of coffee and/or being awake for roughly 3-5 hours before being 'cheerful' enough to talk to. In fact, at one workplace, I had been known to grunt at people until I had been there 30 minutes or so, made and ate oatmeal and had a chance to process what it would take to be productive for the day. Since having him, mornings haven't been the dreadful thing they once were. When there is someone who greets me which such joy, I can't help but be happy and kind of get over my own lack of sleep just to partake in the happiness in front of me.
3. Favorite book? I do love so many books, but the one I love to read over and over (at least once annually) is Stardust by Neil Gaiman. It is part of the inspiration for this blog name. I just love the tale and the world he creates in the land beyond the village of Wall. I have not and will not ever see the movie. My imagination has it just right in my head and I don't need Hollywood screwing it up.
4. Summer sun or winter wonderland? Summer sun. The days are longer, people are happier, there are more picnics and sunshine. The Summer also compliments my love of the beach. It's a lot more fun to be there in the warmer weather than in the cooler weather (I have done both). There's something about putting your feet in warm sand and feeling a warm breeze on your face that just makes a person happy. Also in the summer, there is far less hassle with the weather. It's either sunny, breezy, or rainy so pick the appropriate jacket. In the winter you have cold, ice, snow, and windy. All of which need too many layers to enjoy unless you are under the age of 12.
5. What do you do in your free time? Free time? Ha. My free time has been extremely reduced, but I am the queen of multi-tasking. I also find it impossible to sit still, so I do make the most of what little time I have. When I am watching TV I tend to use my laptop to surf the web for any number of things. Facebook and Pinterest are frequent stops as well as any other "research" I am currently interested in. Right now I have a "Couch to 5K:" and Online Fabric shopping tabs open. I also enjoy working on my projects (which are piled high and deep right now, let me tell you!). I sew a lot, mainly quilts right now. I take a lot of pictures, mostly of my son, but the cats get in on the action too, which means I also spend a lot of time uploading and purchasing photo stuff (books, cards, etc). I love to work on the house (which has gotten surprisingly more difficult with a baby) and my next two projects are repainting hideous brass lamps and reupholstering two obnoxious pink wing back chairs, FINALLY. I also try to read a little each day and because of my health plan at work, I am trying to get at least 7,000 steps a day on my pedometer. Sometimes this means walking around the house in circles after Colin has gone to bed. Thankfully I recently acquired a Kindle so I can watch older TV shows while moving around the house. It has worked out well.
6. Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Yes. I think they are a great way to think about doing something new and different. They don't always have to be tied to a "don't" which I think is where people get stuck sometimes. Make them small and manageable and write them down and put there where you see them everyday. I try to use my resolution as a way to be a better person. This year mine could have been trying not to swear like a sailor while driving in DC, but I opted for something that would help others. I am buying and donating food monthly to a local food shelter in our area. Before the holidays had come, I heard a news story on the radio about how much the need for food has gone up and it made me sad. People only ever think to donate to the food pantry around Thanksgiving and Christmas. And that's not to say it's not a good thing, but those people don't miraculously get food the other 10 months out of the year. So I have decided to make a donation drop off once a month. My preferred way of giving is 100% anonymous so it works out well. I don't need a thank you, just appreciate what was given to you and that's enough for me.
7. Family’s favorite meal? (Share the recipe) We have many, but here's one of our go-to favorites.
Angel Hair Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
(makes 4-6 servings)
1, 10 oz. jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped (oil reserved)
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
1 lb. angel hair pasta
3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (flat leaf italian parsley)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)
3-4 oz. soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled
Heat 3 tbsp. of reserved oil from sun-dried tomatoes in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine and chopped sun-dried tomatoes and simmer until liquid reduces by half, about 2 minutes.
Cook pasta according to package directions, but when you drain it, reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add cooked pasta and parsley to the tomato mixture and toss to coat, adding some reserved pasta water to moisten. Season pasta with salt and pepper. Place into a serving bowl and mix with crumbled goat cheese.
8. Preferred way to communicate? Email/text/call/facebook/etc It depends. If you are a close relative, I prefer a phone call or email. If you are a close friend, phone call, text, or email. If we are just friends, email or Facebook. Right now I will lean towards more written forms of communication because it allows me to write them whenever I can (in the likely event I am interrupted) and give some thought to what I am telling you. With a baby, sometimes that routine phone call just doesn't fit in. And besides, if I write an email, I can send pictures too. :) Facebook is fantastic for staying in touch with people in general though. I have a manageable number of friends, and I am interested in what they are up to. Some share more than others, but I enjoy catching up with everyone's lives when I can sit and process through my stream.
9. How many people/animals live in your house? We have three people (me, my husband, and our son) and two fat cats. In my opinion, it's a good human/animal ratio.
10. Favorite snack food? I am a sucker for chocolate covered pretzels. I will eat an entire bag if I am not careful. That whole salty/sweet combo is to die for.
So my nominees are....
1. LaTisha over at Blushing Black keeping it real for all things fashion and beauty. She's got an eye for style; sophisticated and fun. We used to work together and then she got smart and is doing something way more fun, but we still keep in touch thanks to the internets. :)
2. Ryan and his crazy adventures in fatherhood, cooking, and funny stuff at Grillside Stories. He is a co-worker and truly has a knack for seeing the bright side of life.
3. My third would have been Holly, but as she's nominated me it'd be a never ending loop. She is so much better at keeping her blog updated and it's always interesting bits of her and her family's life that make me smile.
So here are my questions for you:
1. Why do you blog?
2. If you could get on a plane and go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
3. What is your favorite holiday?
4. What is your favorite vacation spot or what was your favorite vacation?
5. What do you do in your free time?
6. If you could have a super power, what would it be and why?
7. What is your favorite game (board, video, card, school yard)?
8. Cat or Dog Person?
9. What is your idea of a perfect weekend?
10. What is your all-time favorite blog entry you have written?
Many thanks again to Holly for nominating me and giving me a reason to answer fun questions and pass it onward to others. As a result of this exercise, I realized I need to update my links of people I follow on my side bar. I think many people have dropped the blogging routine, which is to be expected, but I just need keep it updated. :)
