Liebster Award

Hello, dearies! It seems I've been nominated for the Liebster Award. I've no idea where the name came from or who started this, but it's been floating around for quite a while. The basic idea, as I understand it, is to get to know different bloggers (thus the rule about less than 200 followers). Don't ask me why it's called an award, though. I haven't the slightest idea.

Thank you, Maddie Jay, for the nomination!

source

thank and link back to the person who nominated you

list 11 facts about yourself

answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you

nominate 11 bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers

(you can’t nominate the blogger who nominated you)

ask them 11 questions

let them know about the nomination

eleven randoms facts of myself

1) I don't like peanut butter or nuts.

if I do eat peanut butter, I choose crunchy over creamy. I'm also working an acquiring the taste...which has so far been somewhat successful.

2) Clark (from Mind Games) is one of my all-time favorite characters, ever.

3) several of my favorite movies were made in 2002

4) this is supposedly the number of death

Artemis Fowl is both a great character and series

(yes, those things go together. see book seven.)

5) almost all of my friends are pastors' kids

6) I'm in love with cold and ice and snow.

I've skied since I was four (my dad taught me)

and have been down some pretty wicked slopes since then.

I got to try snowboarding once. it's harder but funner than skiing.

and ice hockey is awesome, though I've only played (or ice skated) once.

7) I have yet to see The Book Thief,

which I've been anticipating since first learning of it.

less than a day or two after finishing the book, I saw the movie advertised on the back of a newspaper someone was reading. a newspaper. how appropriate.

I was slightly nervous about it at first (Hollywood. 'nuff said) but everything I've seen/heard so far is nothing but goodness.

8) I'll taste {almost} anything at least once

usually over and over again {not in one sitting} until I can at least tolerate it

9) The Count of Monte Cristo

and here you thought I wasn't going to mention it for Once

10) I don't like the number ten

the word is okay, though

go say hi to Lykan and Lauriloth. they're awesome

11) I'm slightly obsessed with numbers

and words

my answers to maddie's questions

1. Who is your favorite band or singer? I guess that would be the Clark family. Specifically Bro Mike, Mike, and Travis. Mike and Travis are young (teenage) brothers, and Bro Mike is their dad. They sing beaumazingly together. So I made up a word. [get over it] The rest of the family sings, too, but they're my favorite "group."

2. Who was your first fictional crush? (can be movie or book) I've never really had any. Um... many Neal from Once Upon a Time, or Dan from The Shunning. Or maybe Gale from The Hunger Games series. Nah, not Gale. Jack from the Titanic? Or, wait, no, probably the guy from that Hallmark Christmas movie, the one with Henry Winkler in it. (I found it here)

Well, I've at least attempted to answer this one. Next question.

3. What is a cartoon you loved when you were little, but can't stand now? Let's see... Little Bear, Blue's Clues, Winnie the Pooh. I think those are the only cartoons I watched. Oh, and Swiss Family Robinson. I haven't seen any of those in ages, so I don't really know. But back then, favorite to least favorite were: 1) Family Robinson, 2) Little Bear, 3) Pooh Bear, and 4) Blue's Clues.

4. What was/is your least favorite subject in school? Geometry. I love math! Especially algebra. Just not geometry. (It was all remembering numerous theorems and their two- or three-letter abbreviations.)

5. If you had to dye your hair an unusual color, what would you choose? Probably purple. Except that I'm verrrrry picky about that color. There's only one shade I actually like. It's a really dark, rich shade of purple. Inky, maybe. But darker... like shadows. One of the boys in church has a shirt that color, but it's not like I've got a picture of it.

6. Do you grow your fingernails out long or keep them short? Both. I don't exactly pay them much attention. I just let them grow until they get annoying, then clip them. Or sometimes one will break and I'll clip it. So some are short, some are longish.

7. How much makeup do you usually wear? None.

8. What is one song you can't stand to listen to? "Never Ever Getting Back Together", or whatever that song is called. It's by Taylor Swift. It's doesn't help that they put it on the country countdown when it's clearly not a country song. (actually, they're doing that a lot these days...) Okay, rant over. Next.

9. Ford or Chevy? Chevy.

10. What accent do you love to listen to? Aussie.

11. How many (or any) kids would you like to have? None of "my own" (meaning biological). I want to foster/adopt. I don't really have a number. At times, though, I've imagined something like Jo March's house of boys. My preference would be all boys, maybe a girl or two. Maybe. As I said, like Jo. But that's just a preference.

my nominations

ashley g.

[insert title here]

bound and freed

The Pen of a Ready Writer

carly meyer

Books and Etc.

christine / lauriloth

Musings of an Elf

(she just so happens to have already been nominated)

(so I've given her place to...)

alyianna

Anna's Notebook

ely

what can I say?

jameson

Lovely Whatsoevers

miss elliot

Puritan Observer

molly weston

To Write Something Worth Reading

olivia

The Scribbleagonist

rissa

Two Moons

westmoure

Revelations

my questions for you

#1

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where is the first place you'd go? Why?

#2

If you could travel anywhere in any universe (fictional or otherwise), what specific place would you visit first? Why?

#3

Do you have a favorite Bible story/character/verse? Who/what is it?

#4

Would you ever consider eating octopus ink pasta with squid?

(I'm a bit obsessed with this question right now...)

click here to see the original post

{it seems I forgot to add this picture before posting}

#5

Have you read The Book Thief? What is your opinion on it? Favorite quote/scene?

(You may mention the movie if you've seen it, but try to keep the movie spoilers to a minimum.)

#6

If you suddenly found yourself in a do-or-die situation, what would it be?

What single item would you want to have with you?

#7

Quotes are lovely things. I've got an entire blog devoted to them.

Post a favorite or three [for me to use].

(if I use any, I'll link to your post as the source and tell you when it publishes)

#8

What is your favorite type of blog post to read?

{Beautiful People, Stacking the Shelves, ramblings, [original] writings,

character posts...}

#9

What's the first thing you do in the morning, after you attempt to wake up and actually get out of bed?

#10

What is the worst book you've ever read?

#11

Can you swim? Ocean, lake, creek, or pool?

Thanks again for nominating me, Maddie!

•  •  •  •  •

Enjoy, you guys!

{and comment below with the link to your post so I can read it}

Blog Party Tag

Hello, dearies! Kendra from Knitted by God's Plan is hosting a blog party to celebrate 5 years of blogging and 3 years of being published.

Click the button below to view the announcement page!

Today is the first day, and one of today's posts is a game. Who doesn't like games? Not me!

As you've probably figured out already, this first game is a tag.

Rules: copy/paste the questions and answer them.
Prize: an entry in a drawing to read her WIP, Infiltration.

Now for the questions...


How long have you been blogging?

I created my first blog in November of 2009 (I only remember this because it says on my profile that that's when I joined Blogger). I've long since abandoned that blog.

I started Barefoot in the Snow on 13 March 2014. (Again, I only remember this because I looked up my first post.) Shortly afterword, on 23 May 2014 (I actually remembered that), I created An Ocean Raging, a quote blog.

Which of the books on my WIP list intrigues you the most?
Which from the party list? That would be:

1. The Worth of a King
2. HaV Academy
3. The New Division

That was fun. Because I already figured it out when I was choosing which books I'd most prefer to interview characters from.

Which from all the rest of them? Hmm.

*skims through Kendra's WIP list*

Probably The Ankulen or The Land of Numbers.

You're stuck on an island that has no sign of other people. What 5 items would you like to have with you in this event?

Hmm. Wifi, books (which, of course, includes my Bible), laptop, food, shelter. I guess that's a pretty boring answer, but I'd survive, wouldn't I? As long as people were able to find me once I'd messaged them...

Oh, I'd better add a weapon of some sort, in case of hungry wild animals. Wait, no, I'll just live in the trees. Eh, I'll add one anyhow.

So, final answer: wifi, books, laptop, gun, food. Not that I've exactly thought it all out.

Someone gives you a thousand dollars. What do you do with it?

A thousand, that's all? I'd give some to church, save some, use some, and possibly invest some. Aren't I interesting today?

Is there any book that you wish you had written? (Not because of the money involved, but because you love the idea so much you wish it was yours.)

I like this question! Very interesting. The first books that came to mind are The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Matched (Matched trilogy #1) by Allie Condie, and Icefall by Michael J. Kirby. I'm not really sure, but I'll go with these for now.

• The Book Thief — This is just an incredible book. Actually, out of these three, I'd certainly pick this one. I think.
• Matched — I love the concept of this book, and the style in which it's written. I started reading the first book just before bed one night and ended up reading more than half of it before forcing myself to stop. If I hadn't had to get up the next morning, I would have finished the entire book right then. I enjoyed the rest of the series, too, but this was the best one.
• Icefall — This came to mind because of Ole. I think, all things considered, he's the real reason this book was awesome. I've never thought of it that way before, but I just realized that when I think of the book and why I love it, it's always things he said that come to mind. I loved the style of writing, too. (In fact, it's a direct influence on how I plan on doing my current WIP.) I was less than happy with part of the ending, but I still love the book. (which is saying something — ending is everything) If you're a writer, read this. If you aren't, well... read it anyway.

The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini (Eragon) deserves and honorable mention just for being awesome.

Now go read all three of those. No, really, do it. I'm serious.

What is your favorite fairy tale?

Does Once Upon a Time count? No? Fine. Um... Peter Pan.

Ironic, since Peter Pan was one of the few and greatest failures of Once. I really liked the evilness twist, but they made him so evil there was no reason to like him. At all. There is a time and place for villains you love to hate. But Peter Pan? No. Just, no.

And Robby Kay is such an amazingly perfect Peter Pan, too...

Describe Kendra is seven words.

1. random
2. friendly
3. purple
4. writer
5. awesome
6. blogger
7. interesting

...because I really don't know you that well, but there you are :)

What is your opinion of popcorn?

Fluffy, salty, and buttery. Only that movie theater butter spout will do.

How many different crafts can you do?

I'm supposedly very good at crafts, but I generally hate them. So I really don't know. The only crafts I can think of that I enjoyed at all are origami and iris folding. That probably has something to do with the fact that they're done best by a perfectionist (aka me).

How long have you been following my blog and how did you find me?

I've been following you since 2 July 2014. I know this because the first person I saw when visiting you blog was July's Character Encounters post. The post was published 2 July and so was my first comment.

I honestly don't remember how I found you. After a bit of sleuthing, it seems that you found me first and commented on my first Talk To Me post.