The Liebster Award!

 
 The Liebster Award is for bloggers with fewer than 300 followers. A blogger nominates 11 fellow bloggers and asks them a set of 11 questions. The rules state that a nominee must link back to the blogger from whom they received a nomination. The nominee will write 11 random facts about themselves and then answer the 11 questions which have been set for them. They in turn will nominate another 11 bloggers and pose 11 questions to them. This is a really fun way to discover and connect with new bloggers and help us all gain some new followers along the way. 

Lovely Hannah from Make, Do and Push has nominated me as one of her bloggers so I will do my best! Thanks Hannah! If you like crafting, and a slice of positivity to balance out the cynicism you hear from me (!) you should check out her blog. She is up to wedding planning too so is bound to have lots of ideas up her sleeve!

OK, first of all, 11 random facts about me! Crikey that seems a lot!

1. I used to deliver milk with my dad when I was little (he was a milkman, we weren't weirdos)
2. I won a few swimming races as a kid.
3. My sisters are identical twins and were in a margarine advert.
4. For about ten years all I ever ate was macaroni cheese. And I was so much thinner than now.
5. I met my husband on Match.com. He is the most perfect match, no kidding.
6. As a teen I looked like a boy. But people also accused me of looking like Jill Dando or Princess Di. So 80s short hair basically. Later I looked like Little Mo from Eastenders.
7. My best xmas present of all time was a colour changing torch.
8. I'm not sure what my real hair colour is.
9. I have a-whole-nother concept of what a bargain is. Seriously I am CHEAP. If it's not under a pound don't even talk to me.
10. I have a substantial chip on my shoulder about rich people. But as I plan to be one at some point, I'm working on it.
11. I used to have a classic mini with pink flowers on it called Rosie. She was the most fun to drive, and made me so happy. I miss her dreadfully.

Right, and here are my answers to Hannah's questions:
 
1. What is your favourite colour and why?
I change my mind a lot, but mostly green. I just like it to wear and it's an earthy colour which reminds me of pretty trees.
 

2. Which three guests would you invite to your fantasy dinner party (can be dead or alive)?

Paul McCartney- I've been in love with him forever and would like to quiz him on John Lennon, Linda, and being able to play but not read music.

Audrey Hepburn- To see if she really is that cool. And to give me tips on acting like a lady ("Stop swearing, Daaarling") and maybe she could have a sing song with Paul.

Louis CK- He cracks me up and we could be incredibly cynical about everything together.

3. If you could be someone else for the day who would you be?

A thin, rich person. Just to see if it would be as awesome as I think.

4. Where is your "happy place"?

Anywhere my daughter is asleep, my husband brings me wine, and it is warm. Preferably with no phones, computers or a front door.

5. What is your most treasured possession? 

It's a close thing between my sewing kit and my engagement ring... 

6. What is your favourite blog post that you've written? 

I'm not sure if it's my favourite, but the one which brought me most peace and happiness was the one about Daphne's birth on my old blog, DearMeThen. After being treated like I was a wimp and a failure at the time, the blog got attention from people in the same boat, and people around me seemed to finally understand what I was going through. I wasn't alone, I think that's the biggest thing to realise when you're hurting.

7. What is your biggest regret? 

 I try not to believe in regrets, as even the crappiest things help to shape the person you are. HOWEVER, I sometimes regret how open I am to friendship, and how people can take advantage of it. But, maybe that's how you find out who the decent people are.

8. What is your greatest achievement?

Where I am now, really. I'm secretly an optimist, and although I've had to battle with depression I know that the real me is quite loud, an opportunity-taker and a bit of a wisecracker. I'm very proud of the risks I've taken where I've fallen on my feet...I'm hoping my latest risk will work out for me....

9. Red, white or rose wine?

 White to get tipsy, Red to chill.

10. What is your favourite book?

I hardly ever manage to read anymore, short attention span! But I love Alexandre Dumas' musketeer stories. Short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri suit my 5mins-and-I'm-asleep mentality at the moment.

11. What five words would you use to sum you up?

Nuts once you know me ;)

Right, now the 11 bloggers I'd like to nominate are:

• Oddities in the Perspective
• Northern Mum 
• Hello it's Gemma 
• Dad Who Writes 
• Ninja Killer Cat 
• The Puffin Diaries
• Frugal Farmhouse
• My Cava Lifestyle
• Onions and Paper
• Country Idyll
• Leopard Print Mommy  

I must admit that I've had to hunt for you, bloggers, and I'm not sure you've all got less than 300 followers! But I like you! And my own 11 questions for you are:

1. Why did you start blogging?
2. Have you ever had a nickname?
3. What is your failsafe dinner recipe?
4. What did you want to be when you were a kid?
5. Who do you admire?
6. Do you read a newspaper?
7. What's your favourite memory?
8. First crush?
9. What song is guaranteed to get you on the dancefloor?
10. How many pairs of shoes do you have?
11. If you had a pet tortoise, what would you call it? 

 
Sorry, some of those are a tad random, but I think this is the longest post I've ever written AND actually had to research AND think about. Whoa. 

Good luck and look forward to seeing the posts! Thanks again Hannah and everyone taking part. I am yet to discover how I can follow these blogs, can I follow you all on Google? I have huge lists on my Bloglovin' app (this is amazing, by the way) but it only seems to work for certain blogs. Any clues let me know, I used to be good at technology, must be getting old!

Nic x