Liebster Award

I awoke to a lovely surprise this morning--Jamie over at Better With Age was kind enough to nominate me for a Liebster Award!  There are a variety of versions of this award floating around, but according to this version, it is an award given by bloggers to other bloggers who have less than 200 followers or  have been blogging for less than six months.  It's to show newer bloggers that they are appreciated and to help spread the word about new blogs.

I'm very flattered, Jamie--thank you!

The guidelines are:
1. You must post 11  random  things about yourself.
2. Answer the questions  your  nominator has created for you.
3. Create 11 questions of   your own for the people you nominate.
4. Choose 11 new blogs you  love and link them in your post.
5. Please leave me a  comment  on this post with the URL to your Liebster post so I can read your   answers!

I've done a bit of research into this award, and it has mutated quite a bit from its original form...  and there's also an 'Honorary Liebster Award' which is to tell another blogger that you appreciate their blog without any questions.  I'm going to answer Jamie's questions and give you 11 random things about myself, but I'm going to modify it from there and give one of my favorite bloggers the award without any guidelines. 

So... here goes:
11 random things:
1)  I am double-jointed (which is a misnomer, it is actually hyper-flexible)
2)  I do not eat meat (and yes, chicken and pork count as meat!)
3)  I am a coffee addict
4)  I am a huge animal lover
5)  I am an only child
6)  I have clutter issues--it drives my husband crazy
7)  I have a strong aversion to hard-shelled insects.  June bugs and cockroaches especially *shiver*
8)  I kind of regret not becoming a Vet
9)  I miss Canada
10)  I lived in Edinburgh, Scotland for three years.  I love Scotland!
11)  I get really excited about snail mail--especially little packages

The Questions:

1)  What do you do other than blog?
        I am a trained Historical Costumer for theatre (my specialty is 1750s women's) and I am also a Naturopathic Doctor.    Odd combination, I know.   I haven't been practicing for several years since I moved to Miami... at the moment I am working with my husband to get his new Coffee Roasting and Retail Warehouse up and running.  Who would have thought of a more perfect match for me than an artisanal coffee roaster?  Heaven!
2)  If you had an entire day all to yourself {no husband or  kids}, what would you  do?
        I love the great outdoors--anything involving being outside... the beach, a walk in the park, gardening, you name it!  Sometimes reading a good book on the beach is just heavenly...
3)  What is your favorite guilty pleasure?  Could be a  snack, TV show,  etc. 
        True Blood--both the books (the last Sookie Stackhouse novel comes out in May... boo!) and the HBO series. 
4)  What is your favorite room in your house and  why?
        I love our kitchen/dining/living area--it's all big and open-plan and I can putter around in the kitchen and talk to whoever is around at the same time.  It's fantastic!
5)  Do you like wine?  Or chocolate?  Both? 
        BOTH!  Red wine and dark chocolate....  mmmm!
6)  What is your favorite all-time movie?
        Too many to name... but one of them is the BBC production of Pride & Prejudice (the Colin Firth version).
7)  What is your favorite all-time book you've read?
        Again, too many to name them all...  I read a lot :-)  Jane Austin to Charlaine Harris and everything in between!  One of my very favorite classics is 'To Kill a Mockingbird'.
8)  Where did you grow up?  Where do you live now?
        I grew up in a little town in Eastern Canada, and I live in Miami, Florida now.
9)  What kind of personality or what type of person are you? 
         This is a funny one...  I am probably best described by the words that Claudia over at Mockingbird Hill Cottage uses to describe herself--'I am a solitary person who is chatty'.  I am an only child, and I do not have a lot of close family, so as a result I'm quite accustomed to spending long periods of time alone.  I don't mind being alone but I can converse easily in a group situation and enjoy the company of others. 
10)  Describe a little bit about your dream home.
        This is a great question!  I would love to have an open-plan cottage somewhere by the water...  A happy spot with lots of flowers and plants growing in profusion in the front and back yards, with a wonderful big porch on the front to enjoy the outdoors in comfort.  A good-sized kitchen open to the living area, and a big studio on the top floor with skylights to be able to work in natural light.  I miss my sewing/work room in my old house in Canada so much... 
11)  Who is your favorite interior designer or decorator or  blogger?
        Again, this is a tough one because there are so many talented individuals out there that I really enjoy...  I gain inspiration from such a wide variety of styles and designers/decorators/bloggers that it's hard to pick just one! 

My Nominee is Anne at Counterpoint Corner--head on over to her lovely blog and say hi!  She has the most beautiful creations, and I always love to check in and see what she's been working on.  Her whimsical feltwork is inspiring me--I'm heading to Michaels soon to check out their wool roving! 

As for my favorite blogs--I have a list of my favorites at the right-hand side of my blog--take a wander through them and I'm sure you'll find something you like, and gain tons of inspiration!  I love seeing what others are up to!

Thanks again, Jamie, for the nomination--I am so glad that someone out there is reading and enjoying my posts :-)