One More Present!

Torn wrapping paper, untied ribbon fragments, and leftover honey-baked ham usually fill our house on the day after Christmas. The magic and excitement from opening gifts begins to fade, and the reality of writing thank-you cards for itchy sweaters and cheese graters starts sinking in.

 

But this year, I’m still handing out presents on Boxing Day! Miss Marzipan generously nominated me for a Liebster Award, and I’d like to give it to the following 11 deserving bloggers too.

 

First for the rules…

 

Share 11 facts about yourself.

Answer the awarder’s 11 questions.

Ask 11 questions of your own.

Nominate 11 bloggers.

*Note: The Liebster Award is given to up-and-coming bloggers with less than 200 followers.

 

My Facts

1. On my 12^th birthday, I climbed (and took an elevator) to the top of the Eiffel Tower. And then we ate bread and cheese and fruit tarts for dinner, almost like true Parisians!
2. Despite earning my driver’s license at 16, I didn’t learn how to pump has for another 3 years! Mom figured out that the gas station sold milk for less than the grocery store, so any time we ran out of dairy, she took the car closest to empty to fill up on both gas and milk.
3. I love “Duck Dynasty.” Yes, I’m more city-girl than country, but I laugh nearly every time Jase or Phil or Miss Kay speaks to the camera. Maybe I should buy a few camo clothes for my wardrobe after all….
4. I recently rediscovered peanut butter, and now I put it on everything! Sandwiches, apples, toast, oatmeal, popcorn… I can’t get enough!
5. In middle school, my best friend and I played a card game called “James Bond” at every weekend sleepover. I have no idea where the name came from, but our hands flew so fast over the cards that nearly every round ended in a tie!
6. In high school, I took a black and white film photography class. I’d hole up in the dark room for hours, burning and dodging and developing my prints.
7. I donated my hair to Locks of Love twice. Although my little follicles refuse to cooperate these days, I still want to do it again.
8. While snorkeling in Kauai on a family vacation, my mom and I saw a shark! She started swimming for shore faster than Michael Phelps, but I wound up the underwater camera instead. Unfortunately, Mr. Jaws disappeared before I could take his mug shot.
9. I was a big band geek. By the time I graduated high school, I played 7 instruments! Flute, piccolo, piano, alto sax, bari sax, oboe, and English horn.
10. I stopped hosting “normal” birthday parties in sixth grade. Instead, I asked friends to bring nail polish and bubble bath to make cute gift baskets for local homeless teenage girls. (But I still baked a birthday cake and blew out the candles!)
11. Whenever I enter a Ross store, I make a beeline for the kitchen aisles, and I always walk out with a new purchase… Like my dessert spoons, or my silicon rolling pin, or my muffin top pan, or my silicon Christmas muffin tin.

 

 

Answers to Miss Marzipan’s Questions

1. Color or monochrome? Color: I love colors. Pastel, bright, dark, neon…
2. Winter or summer? Summer! I freeze faster than a popsicle in the winter, even when it’s only 50° outside… Plus I love the warm sunshine.
3. Ready-made or homemade? Homemade. At least when it comes to food. I spend more time in my kitchen than in any other room in the house—hard to believe when you consider how much I enjoy sleeping too!
4. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate. Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. The darker the better.
5. Glass half-empty or half-full? Glass half-full. I’m a self-proclaimed optimist (with realist tendencies).
6. Work or play? Hmm… I’d love it if they were the same thing! There’s aspects of each I enjoy, but during the holiday season right now, I’m definitely leaning towards play.
7. Casual or formal? Casual. Most days, I wear a tank top and an oversized hoodie that I nearly stole from my younger brother. (My mom took pity on him and bought me my own instead.) But dressing up every once in a while is fun too!
8. Ski lodge or tropical island? Tropical island! Goes right along with my love of summer… No ski resort for me, thanks!
9. Breakfast or dinner? Breakfast!! Oh man, it’s my favorite meal of the entire day. (After dessert. But then again, the dishes served for those two sometimes overlap so…) I love pancakes, waffles, coffee cake, cereal, toast, bagels, biscuits, cinnamon rolls… Basically anything sweet-ish!
10. TV or film? Umm… Well I rarely have enough time to watch an entire movie, so TV shows are a bit more practical. However, I do enjoy seeing an entire storyline develop that doesn’t always happen in disjointed TV segments!
11. City or country? How about suburbs? I like having grass and trees around me, but I’m not quite ready to milk my own cows or grow my own wheat.

 

 

My Questions

1. What flavor was your birthday cake this past year?
2. Where was the last place you flew in an airplane?
3. How often do you go to the grocery store?
4. What’s your favorite quote?
5. What would you most likely be found doing at 5 pm on a weekday?
6. How many countries have you visited?
7. Are you right- or left-handed?
8. What did you have for breakfast this morning?
9. What was the last live performance you saw?
10. If you had a garden, what would you plant?
11. Why did you start blogging?

 

 

Bloggers

1. bepcity
2. TahiniToo
3. Crafty Mama
4. OMFG So Good
5. Hourglass & Bloom
6. peace. love. quinoa.
7. The Backyard Lemon Tree
8. The Bliss Project
9. Art of Nutrition
10. The Life and Times of Choconutmeg
11. bc yogafrog

 

Happy holidays!