Bloggers love to give other bloggers “awards” just for the heck of it.  Its part of the fun of being active in the blogosphere.  Last week my sweet friend Julie at Lilacs & Longhorns gave me a Liebster Award. (I think Liebster is German for small time blogs need love too) Thanks Julie!

I met Julie at Bloggy Boot Camp last year and we have really hit it off.  She lives in the Dallas area and blogs about home decore, DIY decorating and family life.  She really has an eye for putting things together in the home to make it look cozy and polished at the same time.  I wish she lived closer so she could come over and help me out.

The Liebster Award was created (as far as I can tell) for small time bloggers to encourage and highlight other small time bloggers (like myself).  Last week I blogged at Oklahoma Women Bloggers about blogging envy an how easy it is to get jealous of other bloggers (since there are about 50 billion mom blogs out there).  Little awards like The Liebster Award are really thoughtful because they are all about lifting each other up, they create a sense of community and give you a little pat on the back just when you started thinking nobody really gives a crap.  I really appreciate Julie’s online friendship and am flattered that she gave me the award.

According to Julie who got the information from blogger who nominated her who got the info from the blogger who nominated her and so on, the recipient should have less than 200 followers.  Because I’m not going to go to the trouble to find out how many followers my recipients have I’m going to ignore that qualification.  My nominating qualification is that I must really enjoy their blog and also assume that they are small potatoes, like myself.  The award recipient also answers a list of questions then nominates some other bloggers.

Here are my answers to Julie’s questions:

1. Why did you start blogging?  I started after the first Pioneer Woman book signing I went to.  I thought to myself…I think interesting thoughts, I have cute kids.  What the heck, I can start a blog.  And the rest is history.
2. What is your dream job?  I’m not really sure if I have a “dream job” but I would love to be a big time blogger.
3. How did you meet your husband?  We met in college at the first day of rehearsal for the operetta H.M.S. Pinafore.  I had a serious crush on him and apparently I lured him in with my daisy duke short shorts.
4. When you were young what did you want to be when you grew up?  I used to want to be a broadway star or the next Sandy Patty.
5. What’s your favorite TV show?  It’s a toss up between Breaking Bad, 30 Rock, Mad Men and Downton Abbey.
6. Who is your celebrity crush?  Ewan McGregor.  Ever since Moulin Rouge I can’t get over him.
7. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?  There are a lot of places I’d like to visit but first on my list is a tour of Italy a la Room With A View.
8. If you could live in a mansion, would you?  Yes, but only if I have a staff (that someone else is paying for) and I don’t have to pay property taxes or upkeep.
9. What is your pet peeve?  Being late.  It’s so inconsiderate.
10. What is your favorite food?  I love all sorts of food but I’ll never turn down good sushi.  Preferably if it’s from Katsu Ya on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City, CA.

Now, here are my fellow small-blog nominees.  First let me say to these lovely ladies…please do not feel pressured to repost or pass the award along or answer my silly questions.  If you want to, great.  If not, absolutely fine too.

On to my list of smallish blogs that I enjoy (Again, I suspect that most of these ladies have more than 200 followers but finding out exact details is too much work for me.)

I’m Feelin’ Crafty Louise is an expert seamstress and quilter (compaired to my skills with a sewing machine, a squirell would do a better job a sewing a quilt than me, but Louise is seriously talented).  We exchanged guest posts last year and I love keeping up with her crafts.

The Mom Cafe  Chris blogs about parenting and often features other mom blogs on her site.  I’ve found Chris to be genuine and sweet and have enjoyed getting to know her.

Sabine of Suburbia  I recently discovered Sabine through Oklahoma Women Bloggers.  Something about her really resonated with me and this lady is really funny.  Anybody who can make me laugh is a-okay in my book.

Afternoon Popcorn Snack  Amy is a fellow Oklahoman and posts easy recipes and beautiful pictures.  I’ve really enjoyed her blog because she keeps it simple.

The Renegade Seamstress  Beth is another seamstress who can work wonders.  She has an eye for a bargan so she’s a gal after my own heart.  The awesome thing about her blog is that she can upcycle anything.  She takes frumpy thrift store finds and turns them into too cute skirts, purses, tops, leg warmers…you name it, she can make it.

Should any of these ladies feel inclined to pass this little award along, here are my get-to-know-you questions.

1.  What is your biggest pet peeve about Facebook?
2.  Have you ever had any strange/exotic pets?
3.  Mountains or the beach?
4.  What is the craziest or favorite Halloween you wore when you were a kid?
5.  Favorite snack food?
6.  If you fell through a time portal, what time period would you want to live in?
7.  Twitter, love it or hate it?
8.  Why did you start blogging?
9.  If you could be featured on a big time blog, which one would it be?
10.  Favorite movie?

Stay calm and keep blogging!

As a blogger it’s important to be involved in blogging communities.  I’ve enjoyed the support and blogging education I’ve received from SITs Girls (The Secret to Success is Support) and I’ve even made real live friends through their blogging conference.  Another site I’ve found helpful is The Blog Guidebook.  Both these sites exist to help bloggers succeed and offer support and helpful advice.  I’ll admit that I have stayed away from sites like BlogHer.  Their community has become so huge that I feel like I would become lost in the shuffle.  I may be wrong but when a community turns into a metropolis it becomes difficult to develop genuine relationships.

Recently I stumbled upon a new blogging community called Oklahoma Women Bloggers.  It focuses on discovering women bloggers in Oklahoma (hence the name) and fostering online connections.

Today I’m featured on Oklahoma Women Bloggers with a post I wrote about my blogging goals and stumbling blocks. Click over and check it out.