A 'BELOVED' Blog Award!!!

WHAT?! Who got another what?! Wait.  STOP. You? I? We? OMG! 

Islanders, YES, you are reading correctly. Jenny, from The NY Melrose Family, thought enough about the island to give us another awesome award. I tell ya, Christmas cookies and birthday presents need to be shipped all the way to NY to show my gratitude.  Isn't it amazing the people and opportunities God puts in your life when you do what you love?  

I do not blog because I have to. I blog because I want to...

THANK YOU, my sweet islanders for your frequent visits, unwavering support and the NERVE to make this boring mama feel special... I recognize that you don't visit because you HAVE to...

This island motivates me to do and, more importantly, to DOCUMENT what I do.  These past few weeks, I've been blogging more often and NOT because I've changed my routine but because I've decided to jot down our family's little projects.  Jenny's decision to pass along an AWARD is an added REWARD and I am grateful for every.single.one.

Have you checked out Jenny's blog? You should. 

'Nuff said.

 Now what is the Liebster Blog Award? Liebster is German and means 'dearest' or 'beloved', but it can also mean 'favorite'. The idea behind the Liebster Award is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 followers. If you are selected, you need to:

Choose FIVE up and coming blogs to award the Liebster to (they must have less than 200 followers)

1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
2. Post the award on your blog.
3. List the bloggers you are giving this award to with links to their sites.
4. Best of all, have fun and share the love!

So, first, if you find yourself visiting the island often, have you considered becoming a follower?  If so, click one of the links in the right navigation menu(follow my other social media sites, sign-up for the email subscription, follow by Blogger or by bloglovin')...  I hope you decide to become an OFFICIAL islander BUT, if not,

 NOW, here are the five up-and-coming blogs that I am passing this award to! Be sure to check them out!

1. Danithedreamgirl

2. Shoehotline

3. Once A Miss Now a Queen

4. Life Revolves Around Them

5. Martinis and Makeup

TAKE THAT, big time bloggers... The under dogs are on the come up and I'm SO excited to share the love!

Come back tomorrow for a new recipe; Munch and I made pepperoni pizza biscuits!

Get Your Shine On: An Award

Happy Mama-Made Monday!  I would typically serve up some goodies but today I'm over-the-moon giddy about some great news I received over the weekend.

THE ISLAND GOT ANOTHER AWARD!

AND, not just any award but the Sunshine Award!

The Sunshine Award is given to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blog world.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Jenny not just for presenting me with this award but for having cute (and frequent) posts that keep me stalking coming back for more!

The rules, once this award is received, are as follows:

1. Post the logo on blog

2. Present the award to (no more than)12 fellow bloggers

3. Link to the nominees' blogs so others can get to know them

4. Let the nominees know they have won this award by commenting on their blog 

5. Share the love and link to the person who you received this award from

6. Answer 10 questions about yourself

10 Q&As

1. Favorite color:

For decor - gray. I'm loving all of the shades and options in the classic and neutral shade!

For wear - Electric blue. It's pulls me in and does NOT let me go lately, lol.

2. Favorite animal: ZEBRA. One of God's miracles... I could stare at them all day! I also LOVE elephants (and birds... and dogs... and frogs... and... Maybe everything except possums, skunks, spiders and snakes? IDK.)

3. Favorite number: 7! God's number of perfection :)

4. Favorite non-alcoholic drink: Starbucks Caramel Macchiato - YUM!

5. Facebook or Twitter? Facebook.

6. What's your passion? Redefining the importance of family.  Documenting my acts of love for my family, my stumbles along the way and even my coping with my daughter’s journey through little personhood helps me, of course.  I’ve learned that it also has the ability to help someone else be a better parent or to make time for their children.  My immediate reward is in the happiness of my family but my heart is warmed when I read notes of encouragement and inspiration from mothers and fathers everyday… They make my hot glue burns all worth it.

7. Getting or giving presents: GETTING My excitement for giving has grown over the years and Munchface fuels my need to find unique and perfect gifts.

8. Favorite pattern: CHEVRON. I LOVE IT!

9. Favorite day of the week: Saturday

10.  Favorite flowers: Peonies

*DRUM ROLL* Now, to pass on the award...

Source

1.Leslie, of Sugar Sweet Sarcasm, left a comment on (and followed) my blog over the weekend. I found myself clicking through her blog drooling over the yummy sweets! What better way to show my appreciation for her follow than to send an award her way?  Leslie, I know this week will be tough but I hope this little award brought some SUNSHINE your way ;)

2.  Tammy, of Crafted By Tammy, is another of my sweet followers who was *like* my first not-my-mom comment, lol.  Her cards are amazing and I get Cricut envy every time I see her work... Especially since I can't seem to figure out making my Cricut CUT through the paper!!

3. Wendy, of Inspiring My Sisters, followed a few weeks ago. Click here for genuine rays of SUNSHINE for the soul.  In a world where, so often, HATE and jealousy fuel the relationships among women, she encourages us to take care of ourselves and to maintain our positive outlook on life.  Can't be mad at that!

4.  Krystle, of Life Revolves Around Them, documents her days in the life of a happily married mommy of 2 (with #3 on the way).  She has a great blog and I'm just happy for her and my buddy, Matt; they are the cutest!

5.  Melanie, of Once a Miss Now a Queen, is so fabulous!  Ever have those friends who are good at everything? You know, the ones who make pretty babies, take awesome pictures, are graphic designers, make amazing crafts, work a full-time job AND have the time to document their beautiful baby's growing up?  Well, Melanie is one of "those" and her blog is awesome.

6. Shelly, of House of Smiths, is totally *like* designing *like* my dream home.  When she's finished, I'm going to get a loan and buy her out of her fully-furnished, perfectly & cheerfully decorated home in UT (yes, I JUST told my husband that I totally want to go thrift shopping there because Shelly has the BEST finds. He thought I was crazy... Then made an announcement. I'll give you a hint - GUESS who is going there on business? HIM. ::eyeroll::). Anways, she's like my celebrity-DIY-blogger-crush-person and I HAD to finally include her in my awards because she IS my blog sunshine. I may have said that with a bang on my desk for emphasis. Seriously people, if you don't know about her (her pantry and her skills) WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

A-frikkin-MAZING!

>End Scene<

I really appreciate (and will continue to share) the love.  I will ALSO give the award to other bloggers as soon as I can get over the moon and come back to Earth... I was just so excited that I had to release an oober important press release post about the latest amazing island honor! 

So, that makes 2 blog awards in a span of 2 weeks?  We're BREAKING RECORDS, Islanders :)

Tune in tomorrow for the St. Patty's Day hair bow tutorial :)

Versatile Blogger Award

Source

I received my first peer-nominated award! Woot! Thanks, Jenny of The NY Melrose Family for the amazing honor! 

More about Jenny: I love her blog... We became bloggy buddies when she commented on Munchface's Candy Land party and included a link to Riley's 2nd birthday; it was Minnie-themed!  Needless to say, when I saw we BOTH had a love for Minnie parties, it was blog love at first site (get it, SITE as in webSITE - LOL)! Go check her out, you won't be disappointed!

And now, THE AWARD:

I did a little research on the award here and found that I'm supposed to provide 7 facts about me.  Let's do a countdown, who doesn't love a countdown?

7. I sing out loud.  Let me clarify, if it's my jam, I sing it. LOUDLY.  Yes, I'm THAT person rocking out all alone in my car.  O and Idon'tcare.com that I only know the KidzBop versions of the latest hits("...you mean Rihanna says NASTY and not CRAZY at the part... O OK...").  

6. I am addicted to my hair.  I shaved it off in 2004 and let my waves&kinks&curls grow how God intended.  I'm always auditioning new styles, products and routines.  Who knows, as a veteran in the natural hair world, I might make it a topic on the blog every now and then...

5.  I make something with Munchface every Monday, she teaches me on Tuesdays and we have family fun on Fridays... It's a schedule and we work to stick to it because quality time is important.

4. I have an impossible pile of laundry at all times. It's really bad and I'm seeking a cure for my laundr-O-phobia. Haven't found it yet ::shrugs::

3.  I am passionate about event planning.  It's so serious that I start planning Munchface's birthday (no less than) 6 months beforehand to ensure we don't "feel" the financial damage. Crazy, I know.

2. I read blogs. I love blogs. I stalk blogs and I'd really like to hear about your blog.  Support is key to the success of everyone's little online spaces and journals.  I hope you'll leave a comment to share your blog for me (and others) to check out.

1.  I have an amazing family.  Not the kind of amazing people might see on t.v. (like Full House or something...) more like the 'admits we're not perfect, has stains on our carpet, dishes in our sink and dirty clothes to wash AND WE STILL think we're amazing' kind of amazing.  My husband, my daughter, my parents, my brothers, my friends... We all love hard... We live hard... and this blog just documents bits-n-pieces of our life.

I am ALSO supposed to share this blog award with others... Here goes:

1.  Sheena of The Shoe Hotline offers help to those of us with a shoe sickness.  She has a girl-next-door tone in her writing that makes her REALLY expensive fetish relatable. She's also one of the FEW people with a narrow-focused blog who can post other topics (like her gorgeous hair) and not completely LOSE her audience.  Talk about versatility!

2. Dani of DANITHEDREAMGIRL documents her journey to find her purpose and helps tell the stories of others along the way.  I call her features The Dream Catchers because she exposes everyday people who are chasing (and determined to catch) their dreams.  Subscribe to her blog via email for the latest and greatest in MOTIVATION!

3. Michele of The Great Read... Her love of the library is contagious.  I follow her blog because I feel her message is genuine.  Her It Has What?! page clued me in on several activities at my local library and my family enjoys them all thanks to her.  Versatility, in my book, is the ability to take a stereotypically mundane activity (like visiting the library) and make others realize the fun and adventure that awaits with every visit!

4. Dani of Martinis and Makeup offers some amazing information on her site! She has a tip for every makeup question you can think of and, as a budding makeup artist herself, she shows off her amazing work!  Not to mention, her Lady Gaga obsession is adorable... I really enjoyed reading her posts. As of late, however, she has *pretty much* fallen off the face of the Earth.  I'm hoping this award gives her the motivation to get back on track!

5.  Shelly of Cookies and Cups... Her sweets are amazing. I love her site! Her posts are original, sinful, hilarious... It's like her posts are an emotional roller coaster (I laugh, I drool, I cry...). I check back often for great ideas and some of her recipes I've tweaked to share here.


6. Taylar of Handmade By Brynne... I raved about her skills here and, rather than repeat myself, I'll just remind you of her contest to turn your child's artwork into an adorable little toy!  Sounds impossible, right? EXACTLY.  She's got SKILLZ!

7. Noor the AMAZING Graphics Designer behind Little Pink Strawberries... I heart her site, I heart her work and I REALLY heart her Freebies! Each week, she finds amazing fonts/graphics and shares them with her followers.  GO! NOW! Check her out! She'll help make your blog POP!

So, ladies, your next step is to do the same as I've done... For VBA questions and to grab your blog award button, visit the VBA site.

Happy blogging!