Okay, this was just plain fun. And kinda hard. And a lot of work.

And fun!

Thanks to a couple of lovely bloggers for nominating us for the Liebster Award.  Here’s how it works:

1. Thank the Liebster Blog presenter who nominated you and link back to their blog.  Thanks to Leanne Dyck’s  The Sweater Curse and to Gratitude Equation! 

2. Post 11 facts about yourself, answer the 11 questions you were asked and create 11 questions for your nominees.  See below.

3. Nominate 11 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen.  See below.

4. Display the Liebster Award logo.  See above.

Here we go!

At age 8, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Cathy: An actress.

Karen: A veterinarian.

Are you what you wanted to be at age 8?

Cathy: No.

Karen: No. 

Favorite piece of art in your home–describe, please!

Cathy: An oil painting by my uncle, painted of my grandfather. He is fishing the banks of the Narrows Reservoir in Giles County, Virginia. You see him from the back, hands in the pockets of a rumpled old coat, can of bait beside him. Every rock and pebble at his feet is rendered in intricate reds and browns, and the rushing current of the blue-green water can give you chills.

Karen: Metallic artwork of flock of sandpipers—it’s a wall-hanging.

Who or what encouraged you to start blogging?

Cathy: Karen!

Karen: Cathy!

What is the best meal you’ve ever cooked?

Cathy: I make a mean chicken piccata that even my kiddos will eat.

Karen: Chicken Francaise in white wine sauce. It’s great every time.

If someone came up to you tomorrow and said, “Here’s a plane ticket to wherever you want to go for the next month,” where would you go?

Cathy: Paris. (But if I get to be there a whole month, can’t I travel all over Europe, please?)

Karen: Ireland.

What is the best poem you’ve ever read?

Cathy: So hard! I’ll just pick my favorite, which has always been T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”

Karen: The Wellspring Collection by Sharon Olds

When was the last time you stepped outside your comfort zone, and how did you do so?

Cathy: January 1, when we began doing Write Despite. Everything about it has been a step outside my zone, from forcing myself to write each day to helping create an online platform, to navigating and developing a deep love for Twitter. And it’s been awesome.

Karen: Ballroom dance class at our church. I just relaxed and had a blast.

If you had to live without coffee or wine, which would it be?

Cathy: Coffee!

Karen: Wine.

What is your favorite article of clothing you own, and why?

Cathy: Ugh. I hate my clothes. But a good pair of jeans (mid-rise, boot cut, please) is a pleasure. Because jeans make me human.

Karen: Green cable-knit turtleneck sweater. It’s warm and comforting and looks great.

How do you relieve stress?

Cathy: Wine. (See #9 above.)

Karen: Yoga or exercise at the gym.

11 Random Facts About Karen:

1. I talk to myself…way too much.

2. Bad table manners drive me crazy. No one wants to hear you gulp.

3. I’d rather take a walk in the woods than do almost anything else.

4. I love crows—the bigger and more disruptive the better. I find them endlessly entertaining.

5. I had a crush on Al Gore in the ‘90s.

6. I have a fear of heights.

7. I watch very little TV. I don’t even have the premium cable channels.

8. I love regional fiction set in New England.

9. I love the cello.

10. I’ve been accused of having the sense of humor of an eight-year-old boy. It’s kind of true.

11. I think Morrissey’s version of “Moon River” totally beats Andy Williams’ take.

11 Random Facts About Cathy:

1. I am inexplicably obsessed with Paul Simon. (The singer, not the dead politician.)

2. Also Sweet Frog frozen yogurt—Dulce de Leche, hello?

3. I hate overhead lights. But…

4. I hate rooms without overhead lights. (Hey, when you have to find something, you need them.)

5. I re-read The Great Gatsby nearly every summer.

6. My best friend has been my best friend since the day my parents brought me home from the hospital. (Thank God.)

7. At age 13, I mercilessly begged my parents to sell my bed and put a hammock in my room instead. They refused. (Thank God.)

8. I freeze nearly all the time, and can’t wait to retire to Florida where I can lie in the sun until I burst into flames.

9. I once owned a dog that could ring the doorbell, and a parakeet that could fake sneeze just like my mother.

10. I’m the only person I know who can’t stand The Big Bang Theory. But…

11. I host True Blood parties every Sunday night at my house in the summer. (Drink of choice? Dirty martinis—and no, not bloody marys.)

 Questions for others:

1. What’s your favorite horror movie?

2. How much sleep do you get at night?

3. What’s the best thing about being you?

4. What’s the hardest thing about blogging?

5. What’s the best meal you ever had?

6. What’s your biggest regret?

7. What or who is the love of your life?

8. What are you most proud of?

9. How much time do you spend on Facebook every week?

10. Favorite Saturday Night Live cast member?

11. Pet peeve?

Our Picks:

http://whoyoucallinghousewife.blogspot.com/

http://kimhambricart.blogspot.com/

http://kirstenlopresti.wordpress.com/

http://kittyhietala.wordpress.com/

http://writeinseattle.wordpress.com

http://pencilgrub.blogspot.com/

http://litandscribbles.wordpress.com/

http://invisiliz.com/

http://aprilloves2write.wordpress.com/

http://www.bridgettelacy.com/blog.htm

http://kuumba.wordpress.com/