It is wonderful when someone thinks enough of your work to give it ‘the nod’ by doing something like nominating you for a Liebster Award. I am still a relatively fresh faced, shiny-eyed new blogger with a crisp notebook, pen and pinafore, not long into term so this means a lot to me. Thank you Gigglingfattie for making me one of your choices. I have been really enjoying your blog and your attitude to life too! I can’t buy you an ACTUAL thank you gift, so here is a selection of virtual ‘thank you’ drinks to choose from. On me!! Cocktail or mocktail, as you wish.

My first day back at work after maternity leave and I am smiling! When I started writing as An exercise in happiness earlier this year, I had hoped it would work. It hasn’t just worked. It has been magic. Bloggers can cast spells that leave you feeling relaxed, entertained, hopeful, redeemed, excited or inspired. Today I get to nominate some bloggers for this award who have done thus for me! I am thrilled.

There are rules with the award and here they are!

You are asked to:

• Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you
• Answer the 11 questions the blogger gives you
• Nominate 11 bloggers that you think are deserving of the award but more importantly help to promote newer bloggers with fewer followers.
• Let the bloggers know you nominated them (you can create a pingback by copy and pasting the URL of a specific post into your blog. It doesn’t work with the home page, but any other post will work. Their most recent, ot perhaps your favourite one?)
• Give them 11 questions of your own to answer

 

Firstly as the rules suggest, I must answer my questions. Here I go. Oh by the way, my blogging friend re-imagined the canon here, by flipping it! Instead of getting ‘your favourite’ questions, I must answer on ‘my worst’ experiences. That is fine by me.

1. What is the most disgusting thing you’ve ever eaten? I have egg dreads. Cannot abide an egg.  This evolves to egg based condiment, mayonnaise. Therefore the worst thing I ever ate that I felt obliged to complete was Coronation Chicken as a guest at my friends’ home. They had gone to huge effort. I ploughed queasily through and still imagine the jar of mayonnaise that went into the making of that well meant but terrible meal. Eggs in cake?  No issues there surprisingly.
2. The worst book you’re read/movie you’ve seen? Ah yes. 1993 ish. An old Irish midlands cinema. The screen often flashed erratically during the feature then the movie would stop. Breakdown. Everyone would squeal or chat. I was glad however when this particular  film broke down. It was ‘The River Wild’ with Kevin Bacon and Meryl Streep. Ironically, I love both actors. I have grown to love them as I was slightly poisoned by this movie for quite some time. What was wrong with it? You know, I can barely remember. I think it was teenage angst, cynicism and hormones on my part that aided in my hate of this film and I just ‘took against’ it. I was just so bored in my Wrangler jeans and ox-blood Docs! 
3. The worst vacation you’ve ever been on?  There is something amazing about every holiday.Time away? I would enjoy a day making cheese at this stage. I am so ‘trip away starved’ at the moment that I can’t think of the worst I ever had. They all have a jolly rosy glow of loveliness in my memory. 
4. The worst gift you’ve ever received? I don’t enjoy perfume gift sets that are celebrity created. Britney perfume etc. They weren’t my worst gifts to begin with but they are now because I just don’t know what to do with them. They are like being gifted a job as you have to move them on somewhere.
5. Worse style phase you went through (for me it was blue eye shadow and green lipstick at the same time…ooo the late 90’s were not good to me). I went through a patchwork pants stage. Less said the better. The eighties pink culottes with gold buttons rocked though!
6. The worst date you’ve ever been on?Any date that wasn’t with my husband, the wonderful Mr Paper. He is the best fun to be with and who I am most comfortable with always. I want to spend all the fun occasions in my life with him.
7. Worst pick-up line you’ve ever heard? My husband says, ‘Do you work for Jacobs? Why? Because you’re a cracker!’. That is so bad I am fond of it.
8. Worst job you’ve ever had? I have had some boring jobs. A few awful jobs. My worst job however was in a newsagents’ store working for a woman who hated life. She was a misery. I don’t know why. Young, pretty and with lovely children. I can only imagine I didn’t understand her.
9. Worst teacher? I can easily answer the question even though I once again feel the dreads. The reason for this is I am a teacher now and hope no one ever nominates me as the worst teacher!! My worst teacher was a nun who was my principal and sixth class teacher in primary school.  She was a harridan, a virago, a shrew of an almost fictional quality. Macbeth’s witches were cherubim in comparison. Racist. Cruel. Bitter. Unpleasant. Insulting.  Cynical. Terrifying.  She victimised the weak or underprivileged. We were aged 4 -12. Really? Who thought this woman should run a little girls’ school? I was born in 1980. I witnessed her spank a child in 1988. This isn’t that long ago and corporal punishment had been banned. Her favourite insults to call us on a daily basis included ‘stupo’ or ‘dumbo’. The worst teacher? The worst human I have ever met.
10. Biggest regret from the last 72 hours? Eating and drinking too much junk thereby making my weigh in at WW this week a farcical three pounds plus.
11. Worst personality trait? I have a tendency to think no one is listening to me and lose the plot over this. I don’t have this issue at work only with family and friends.

My nominees!  Firstly,  I hope that you can accept the award. If you already have one and I didn’t know, I apologise. And congratulations!

1.Katystuff A great blogging friend. I feel we keep in touch as if we really have met. This blogger’s attitude is amazing and I feel as if I know her family.

2.Dearlilyjune I love this lady’s writing. She is gifted.  This blog is a collection of love letters to a little girl, Lily June. Beautiful.

3.Theclothesline Funny, honest and comforting. A wonderful blog that I love to read.

4.Nutsrok This storyteller makes me laugh and cry with wonderfully told tales. Out of nowhere then you receive a selection of Farside comedy images to make your day.

5.Simpledimple Giggles & Tales. What a positive blog! Charged with happiness, I live the images and writings.  They brighten my day.

6.Aliidaacstoryteller The mythological tales are fantastic. The real life stories are as much so. I was drawn to this blog immediately and it is a read I thoroughly enjoy.

7.Bumbles of rice I can relate to everything she writes! I loved the letter to her children on why we say no.

8.Special Needs Teaching Ideas As a teacher, this blog is so helpful and inspiring. Ideas and thoughts that have actual function in my classroom!

9.A Silver Voice From Ireland  Stories from Ireland, nostalgia and memories. Beautiful to read.

10.My Little Babóg This Mammy amazes me!! This is another honest,  self-depracating and comical outlook on Mammyhood that I love. I love the tips. I nearly even made my own baby wipes as a result…!!

11. Busyirishmammy She tells it how it is and also loves to shop. Love it!

My eleven life changing questions!

1. What fictional character do you most relate to?
2. What should you have forgiven yourself for by now?
3. What toy from your childhood had the most effect on you?
4. What lightens your heart the most?
5. What mundane activity makes you the most cheerful when performing it?
6. Would you live another life if you were allowed swap? (Sneaky extra: who’s life??)
7. What was the funniest misinterpretation that you made as a child?
8. Is there a burning ambition inside you to be something else?
9. Is there anything that you love in your ‘old age’ that you detested in your youth?
10. Shakespeare,  Dickens or Wilde. Which would you chose if any?
11. What drew you to the blogging world?

So I am done! This was a hard post guys! The system tried to beat me, complete with computer glitches etc but I have won. Yea!

Good luck all and thank you once again!!