The Liebster Award is an online award given to bloggers, by bloggers. It is intended for new bloggers with less than 200 followers on any given social media platform. The purpose of the award is to recognize blogs with excellent content, and to build community amongst other bloggers. As nominees are made 11 at a time, it is also a great way to network, and take a peek at other bloggers' writings.
So, to accept the award, I need to do 3 things:
1. Acknowledge and thank the person who nominated me.
2. Answer 11 questions posed to me by the person who nominated me.
3. Nominate 11 other new bloggers for the award, and provide them with my own set of 11 questions.
As a perk, I get to display the award on my sidebar!
First, let me officially acknowledge and thank my friend, Tara Joy! Tara is such a sweet soul with a genuine heart for the Lord. She and I practice our French together online, and swap stories about life with a toddler boy. I am really enjoying getting to know her!
Check out her blog, Faith in Every Day - it is truly worth the visit!
Now I'll answer Tara's 11 questions....
1. What is the story behind your blog name?
Well, I actually addressed this in my very first blog post. Basically, I think of my life as a story.....a living story, being written by the hand of God. You can read more about how I chose this name by reading my post, here.
2. Why did you start a blog?
I had toyed with the idea of starting a blog, but never really gave it any serious thought. I wasn't sure what I would blog about, and wasn't convinced that anyone would read my writing. On top of that, I had always thought of bloggers as....selfish. Always talking about themselves....what they think, what they do, what they like. One day, I had a particularly poignant experience and shared it on Facebook. It got tons of likes and comments, one of which was "you should start a blog!" So....I thought about it....prayed about it....and the rest, as they say....is history! You can read that story, and the story of how my blog came to be, here.
3. What are your favorite things to do other than blogging?
I love music, and as a musician, I perform pretty often. But, aside from performing, I enjoy just listening to music. I love hanging out with my family and friends. I love watching movies, and, when I have time, reading. I also enjoy studying the bible and the French language.
4. What is your inspiration for your blog?
I mostly blog about my own thoughts and experiences. My goal is to encourage and inspire others in their faith.....so I try to find lessons in everyday things. That way, my content is relatable, but still offers something of value to my readers.
5. What is the hardest thing you have found about blogging?
Blogging takes a lot more time than I realized it would! There is so much more to blogging than just the writing piece. There's graphic design, networking, research....there are many components to creating a successful blog. I'm still new to this, and so I'm still learning, but the learning process is fun!
6. What is the best post you have written? Make sure to link it!
Oh man....this is a hard one. One that I know my readers really enjoyed was A Letter to the Stranger Who Smiled At Me. I think a lot of past and present moms were able to relate to that one.
7. Where would you like your blog or yourself to be in 5 years?
In terms of my blog, I would hope that I've branched out to other writing ventures by then. I will continue to blog, but it would be cool to write a book or a bible study someday! I think it'd be fun to do some public speaking too!
8. What recipe, idea, or project would like to try yourself?
My friend and fellow blogger, Carissa, has a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Lasagna that I would like to try! You can find it here.
9. Where would you like to take a vacation next?
If I'm being realistic.....probably somewhere within 4 hours of my city. If I'm picking anywhere on any budget? Oh, so many places I would like to go! Maybe......New Zealand....because it's gorgeous, and I've never been there before!
10. Do you work on top of blogging? If you stay at home with your kids thats a job too!
For the most part, I am a stay at home mom, but I do work part-time at a local church as the Director of Music and Worship Leader. A lot of my work can be done from home, and when I need to go in to my office, I can take my son with me.....it's a win-win!
11. How many hours a week do you blog?
The actual writing piece doesn't take me very long, but the time I put in doing all the other stuff....that adds up! I'd say it's somewhere between 10-15 hours per week.
AND THE NOMINEES ARE.......
Lisa Godfrees @ Lisa Godfrees
Joy @ The Joyful Truth
Grace @ Poured Out His Love
Dara @ She Seams Sew Crafty
Tawni @ God, Me, and the Life In Between
Jill @ Blog Chicka Blog
Erica @ Raising Munchies
Abi @ Joy in My Kitchen
Janell @ Mustard Seed Family
SpiritDee @ It's Not Just Words
Sarah @ Abiding In Grace
CONGRATULATIONS, LADIES!!!
To accept your award, answer my 11 questions (below), and when you are finished, comment on this post with your link so that I can read your answers!
Be sure to link back to the person or blog who nominated you to give them a thank you shout out. Then, nominate 11 other bloggers with fewer than 200 followers on the social media platform of your choice, and give them 11 questions to answer.
Notify your nominees, and give them the link to your post so that they can find the instructions on how to accept the award.
Ok - Here are my questions for you!
1. Why do you blog?
2. How did you come up with a name for your blog?
3. Can you tell me a little about your family?
4. How often do you blog?
5. What goals do you have for your writing/blog?
6. What do you like most about blogging?
7. What do you like least about blogging?
8. What causes are you passionate about? Share them with me!
9. If you could only let people know one thing about you, what would it be?
10. What is your favorite type of music and why?
11. Which of your posts are you most proud of? Be sure to link it!
That's all there is to it! Have fun networking and learning about other residents of the blogosphere! Feel free to contact me with any questions.