Liebster Award

It has been a tad busy here lately, and this post is long overdue, but better late than never.

A few weeks ago two of my favourite bloggers, Jacana and Kirsa both nominated me for the Liebster Award (thank you!) so here are a few interesting facts about me.

The word “Liebster” apparently has German origins and is reported to mean sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. 

So what is a Liebster Award? The award is given to support and recognise up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers (on their blog). 

The rules for the Liebster Award are as follows:

1. Each person must post 11 facts about themselves.

2. Answer 11 questions the tagger has given you and give 11 questions for the person you tag.

3. Choose 11 people and link them to your post (they must have 200 followers or less)

4. Tell them you have tagged them.

5. Remember, no tag backs.

 

11 random facts about me:

1)  I have only ever had one driving offense and that was when I was 16 and had been a learner for only 6 weeks (I was caught doing 70km/h in a 50km/h zone but Dad took the wrap for that as he was in the car teaching me and really he should have told me to slow down!).

2)  I have written a memoir.

3)  All dogs I have owned have been named after alcohol (although only the last two were deliberately named so).

4)  I have been known to eat an entire jar of olives in one sitting.

5)  I cannot do things by 3's, it has to be 2's or 4's, so if I have a third biscuit then I have to have another one.

6)  My middle name is the same middle name as both my grandmothers.

7)  Hubby and I both have the same defective toe, we both had an ingrown on both sides of our big toe, left foot (long before we met).  

8)  I am still trying to find the answer to the 'what do I want to do when I grow up' question.

9)  I get bored very easily, I always have to be learning something new.

10)  Even though I am a born and bred city girl I have always felt for as long as I could remember that I belonged in the country.

11)  When my asthma was first discovered my parents contemplated moving to the country for the better air quality.  Tragically they didn't. 

Jacana wants to know.....

Explain a family tradition you have?

We go out to a restaurant for Christmas lunch each year, that way no one has to worry about cooking and no one has to clean up!

What is the best gift you have ever received?

A dozen roses my Hubby gave to me when he picked me up for our first date.  We both just knew.

Do you have a hobby?

I have a lot of hobbies but never time for all of them.  At the moment I am really into reading, gardening, walking and wine tasting.

Name 3 items in your handbag or glove box?

Handbag always has my favourite pink Oroton wallet, my mobile phone and my ventolin.

Can you keep secrets?

Yes.  But when something is no longer a secret I always feel so relived.

As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?

Where do I start?  I wanted to be so many different things but the two that stick out the most are marine biologist and fashion designer (which go so well together to).

How far did you go in the education system?

I completed a Bachelor degree and began post graduate studies but they are on hold at the moment.

Have you ever won anything?

I did win an award at Speech Night in my final year at school, and that was a goal I set at the start of the year.  Still waiting to win some money however.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

In all honestly I really want to go to America, always have and I will get there one day.  I want to see the America you do not see in the movies or on TV and a little part of me wants to be a Southern Belle for just a night.

EBook or paper book?

Paper all the way, convenient and I don't get sore eyes from reading.  However I will buy ebooks that are short, easy reads that I can flip through on the train, and they must have lots of colour otherwise my eyes hurt.

Which famous person (living or dead) would you like to sit next to at a dinner party?

Zig Ziglar it would be the most educational and inspiring evening of my life.

Kirsa wants to know.....  

What is your favorite season?

No contest, Autumn.  When Hubby and I became engaged all we knew about the wedding was that it had to be in Autumn and that became the theme of our wedding.  I love the crispness of the air and the way nature shifts inwards.  I love snuggling up and putting on wool jumpers.  I could harp on about it all day.

 

What animal would you most like to be? 

I'm torn between the air and the sea.  Dolphin to be able to move through the water the way they do and an eagle to experience flying.

What is your favorite sandwich 

Ham and cheese with lots of real butter. 

How far back is your first memory

Visiting mum at the hospital about a few months after my brother was born, I was about 2 and a half. 

Did you ever think you loved a rock star/movie star and who was it? 

Again where do I start?  In the name of good humour I will say that I had a really big thing for Brandon from Beverley Hills 90210 (the original) I think he was only 10 years older than me so in my pre-teen mind we could get married.

Describe your ideal holiday 

5 star accommodation in an upmarket country town with lots of wineries and fine dining restaurants to visit.  And then maybe spending a few days on a tropical island to grab a tan and a few cocktails before coming back to reality.  

Do you chop the heads off a boiled egg, or crack and peel off the shell? 

Neither, I have never had a boiled egg, I have them poached or scrambled.

What kind of car do you drive and if its not your dream car, what is? 

I drive an old Mitsubishi Lancer, and it is definitely not my dream car.  My dream car is the one that Kate Middleton had to her wedding, I am not good on cars but I know it was a black Jaguar, now that is style.

Who is your favorite Author? 

Honestly I do not think I have a favourite.  I like many different types and styles of writing and I find it hard to part with good books, I could be here all night!

What made you start blogging? 

I felt I had a lot to say and instead of thinking things and losing them I wanted to record them.

Would you jump out of a plane?  

No.  In fact I would say Never with a 0.1% margin of error.

I am nominating whoever is reading this and wants to play along (yes slightly breaking the rules).

Goodbye Holiday, Hello Work

Feel so good.  Today snippets of work have popped into my head but I am not giving them any time. I have a few hours of my holiday left to enjoy and I am making the most of it by chilling in the rumpus with Hubby and The Boys, watching DVDs.

Hubby and I popped down to the Southern Highlands for a couple of nights as a bit of a mini break.  I have not been down there for many years and all the times I did go was on a day trip so it was nice to stay a while.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves with the food and wine and lots of R and R.  The place we stayed was amazing and the hosts were the nicest people, running a brand new B'n'B.  Each evening before we went out to dinner they invited us to share a glass of wine and cheese with them before we left.  It was greatly appreciated and we enjoyed the conversation.

On the way down we popped into the info centre to find out what to do.  The lady there provided many suggestions and one of them was an open garden.  It was only open for two days and it was the last time it would be open.  I suddenly remembered reading about a similar garden in Country Style and sure enough it was the same one.

On Thursday we visited Whitley.  We have never attended an open garden before but I will say I really enjoyed it.  We were definitely the youngest people there but that didn't matter.  Actually it seems to be a bit of a recurring theme for us.  The gardens were spectacular and I really appreciated all the work that went into them, however part of me couldn't help but think that with all that space maybe they could have a few cows, sheep, and chickens.  If I had all that land I would be running the largest hobby farm I could imagine.

The sun is now setting and work awaits me tomorrow, but I feel good.  I have the energy to get through work until the next holiday and I also have an overflow of inspiration to allow me to daydream a little each day.  And isn't that what a holiday is all about?  Energy, inspiration and creating memories with those you love, at least that is what it is all about for me.

Holidays

On Sunday in our attempts to get out of the house, we ended up doing the most Central Coast thing possible.  We somehow found ourselves with fish and chip sitting by the water.  No points for originality but it was a good time all the same.  I needed to soak up the sun and breathe in some fresh air.  It was relaxing and it was nice for Hubby and I to talk about a few things outside the house.

Yesterday my family came up.  I somehow thought it would be a great idea for us to all make pizzas for dinner.  From scratch.  I have only ever done this once before and that was years ago.  The kitchen that was so perfectly clean for their arrival now looks like a flour bomb has gone off.  It was all worth it as the pizzas were amazing and I have decided that freshly made dough is the only way to eat a pizza.  Mum and I covered ours with pepperoni, olives, anchovies and garlic.  Oh my mouth is still watering just thinking about it.  Hubby was disgusted at our creation and stuck with his ham and pineapple, but I reminded him that I have never been one to go with the crowd.  Afterwards myself, Hubby and my Bro chilled out in the rumpus with home made cocktails.  Bliss.

Today is of course Melbourne Cup, I have the dress, the shoes and the fascinator.  But first I need to take Raz off to the vets for his shots.  My family and I are heading out for a 3 course lunch in front of a big screen TV, right on the beach.  Should be another great day.  We popped down to the local newsagent/post office/TAB with token bottle shop next door (there is also a hairdresser and that completes the shopping 'village') and for only the second time this year I bought a lotto ticket.  So did mum, and we agreed to halve all winnings ($50 million please) we also each paid for a Carnival Combo Mystery Bet (one of them had Americain so here's hoping).  That is the only way I know how to put money on a horse.  Although last year we did Melbourne Cup with the girls at work and one of the girls ended up winning just over $2,000 on her Carnival Combo, hopefully drinks are on me tonight.

Do you have anything planned for today?

Hip Hip Hooray

As of 3:30pm tomorrow I am officially on holidays and I could not be happier (well maybe if I win the $100 mil I probably would be).  Hubby and I have not had a break since our honeymoon which ended over 6 months ago.  This break is quite overdue.  

We have nothing planned.  We may or may not go away, but The Boys are booked into the kennels pet resort for a few nights just in case.  I have made it clear that we are to spend no more than 2 days in the house, we need to get out and do stuff.  It has been just over 2 years since we left Sydney and we really don't know the Central Coast all that well.  We just live here.  Yet there is always a mass exodus from Sydney every school holidays when they flood in here and take over visit, so there must be something going on around here that I do not know about.  It is time we explored 'The Coast', after all we need to face the fact that we are now "Coasties" (much to certain Sydney people's horror).

Not too sure where to start, Hubby and I are big food and wine people.  The food here is, well, I am from Sydney so let's just leave it at that, as for the wine, there is a fruit winery, and I have been there so that covers that.  But there are beaches of course and lakes, and lots of things for the kids to do.  I have an Entertainment Book so we are going to go through that, rip out a voucher and go exploring.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter so much what we do, but that we do it together.  We need to spend time having fun and away from the drama of work and the stress of the house.  We need to rest, relax and get ourselves ready for a hectic November and December.  After all we need to work to live not live to work.