Liebster Blog Award

Ever heard of it? If you haven't, don't feel bad... I hadn't either before I received a comment the other day on one of my DIY painting projects that informed me that she'd nominated me for a Liebster Blog Award. 

After visiting her blog: bravenewhome.com  and a little bit of Googling, I found out that it's a way for fellow bloggers to give each other a high five, pat on the back, with a little bit of a golf-clap applause. 

And I'm absolutely flattered and I really appreciate it. :) I recommend that you stop on over at Jennifer's blog because it's awesome and I'll be reading it regularly from now on (and she's a fellow Navy wife too, which is cool)!

And... I don't receive many comments. Which is fine, but when I do get them it's nice to get some feedback every once and a while. It's also weird at the same time because sometimes I like to pretend I'm just writing to myself to avoid getting writing-blog-shy so when someone comments it's like, "Whoa! There's other eyes reading this besides my mom and grandma!" ;)

The rules of the Liebster Blog Award are thus: 

1. List 11 facts about yourself.
2. Answer the 11 questions given to you.
3. Create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award.
4. Choose 5 bloggers  with 200 or less followers (I have no idea how to determine something like this…) to nominate.
5. Let each of the bloggers know that you’ve nominated them.
6. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.

So... without further ado; 11 facts about myself that haven't been covered already.

1.) My dream job when I was little: storm chaser. I was obsessed with the movie Twister and that's what I wanted to do with my life.

2.) I find the fairy tale Rumplestiltskin absolutely terrifying (must be because he's leprechaun-ish?). 

3.) Up until a couple of years ago, I was unaware that I stare intently at my food before taking a bite. My brother even mimics me by taking out a fake magnifying glass... maybe I was poisoned in a past life? Ha. 

4.) I've actually sold 2 paintings in the last year for the first time ever for nearly $200.

5.) My first concert was to see Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson. 

6.) I constantly dream about tornados (see fact #1) and my first job, working at Little Caesar's and I have no clue why.

7.) I started a blog two years ago about my days cashiering at Walmart and eventually would LOVE to write a satirical book about customer service. It would be hilarious. And foul-mouthed. Sorry, just being honest. 

8.) I used to write a fictional newspaper about my brother and my toys and it was called 'The Daily Toy.' It had top stories, classifieds, weather reports, music charts... oh it was fun (and I WILL put it on the blog one of these days). 

9.) I love playing Minecraft. It's like virtual Legos (which I also still love). And killing zombies on Left 4 Dead for XBOX. 

10.) I think everything in the world should be cordless because cords and I do NOT get along. 

11.) Usually I feel more like an observer of society than an actual participant. I like to sit on the sidelines and analyze people (kinda like you do at an airport but everyday). 

And here are my answers to her questions that she posed over on her blog for her nominees to answer:

1.) Ikat or Suzani?
I actually really like both patterns. I'm leaning more toward Ikat right now because it's trendy and I'm seeing it everywhere.

2.) How did you decide on your blog's name?

Well, I wanted to create a blog about my home experience at the moment which, was and is, living in a standard rental apartment. And, I also figured that since my husband is in the Navy and we're unlikely to own a home soon, that that's what we'll be doing; going from apartment to apartment.

3.) What's your all-time favorite blog?

I'm going to have to say Young House Love. They really were the first blog to get me really inspired about decorating.

4.) If you could be featured in one home design magazine (print or online), which one would it be?

I don't know... I really don't read any home magazines so I don't even know if I could name any! Lame, I know...

5.) What's your tool of choice?

I'm definitely going to have to say the paintbrush. That seems to be what I consistently use the most whether it's a canvas or my furniture. Or... my KitchenAid Mixer which I use A LOT.

6.) Christmas tree. Real or fake?

I've never actually had a real tree. I guess I'm okay with that... I think what's stopping me from getting one is that I don't want to have to worry about getting rid of it when Christmas is over or whether or not it's got enough water. Also, fake trees get reused every year so I'm assuming they're a 'greener' choice. 

7.) Your least favorite color?

Pink. I'm not really a pink person at all. I don't know... it's just too girly and also, for Russ' sake, I don't use it.

8.) Your design god or goddess.

I do love Nate Berkus... 

9.) If my home scent was made into a candle, it would be...

Clean cat box. Haha, I'm kidding. I don't know... I guess 'clean cat box' would be better than 'dirty cat box,' right? Realistically, it probably would be the scent of something baking because that's usually what I'm up to.

10.) Entering your house, shoes on or off?

On or off, whatever you want. I understand why you'd want to instantly lose your shoes because of outside world germs and such but I hate taking off my shoes when I'm at someone's house. My first thought is, "Oh no! I wasn't prepared to show my socks... I hope they're cute, I can't remember!" 

11.) What type of camera do you use to take photos for your blog? 

Hahaha, this is embarrassing. Okay, so for the longest time I used my little Kodak point-and-shoot but it's kinda been on the outs so I've been using my Android phone! But hey, it's got 8 megapixels which was better than my camera anyway! I AM planning on going to Target's black friday sale to pick up their Nikon camera on sale for $99 so... I WILL have something better. :p 

And as for the other part of the Liebster Blog Award... I feel kinda stupid because I don't think I read any blogs with less than 200 followers! I know, I know... I'll have to get back to this and I definitely plan to. I also want to thank Jennifer again for nominating me (and I also happily checked out the other nominees which were great as well), I really appreciate the gesture!