Sunshine Blogger Award
I was nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award by Danielle of SimplySplendid. Her blog details some of her favorite recipes, keeping every type of cook in mind, from seasoned in the kitchen to can’t boil water! Her step-by-step directions and pictures make her recipes easy to follow.
A a mom of three, Danielle also shares tips on cooking with kids and quick and simple go-to meals. When your kids are whining because you’re making grilled cheese again, check out her blog! You can also find her on Instagram: @simplysplendid.blog and on Twitter: @simplysplendid.
The Sunshine Blogger Award
Rules for accepting this nomination:
- Thank blogger(s) who nominated you in the blog post and link back to their blog.
- Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
- Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
- List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.
Procrastination strikes again!
It has taken me a looooong while to write this post! Procrastination strikes again! Like Danielle, I love these posts because it’s a great way to get to know other bloggers better. Also I just like to let people know I appreciate them. Seems appropriate for something named after sunshine!
Questions I was asked:
1. What is the last book you read?
Um, here’s a selection, as I try to alternate between literary fiction, mysteries, and other stuff.
- Better Than Fiction: 32 True Travel Tales From Great Fiction Writers. My favorite was “Quetzal” by Frances Mayes.
- Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales b
- The latest installment in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear, To Die But Once. Maisie is a psychologist and investigator in 1939 London who solves an interesting murder whilst traveling around the English countryside. That makes it sound a bit trite, but these books are wonderful, full of history and humanity.
- White Houses, by Amy Bloom. Historical fiction, about the real relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and “first friend” Lorena Hickok. Wow. So moving.
2. What is the last song you listened to?
Well, the last one that comes to mind: Prince’s 1979 hit “I wanna be your lover.” “and your mother and your sister too” really stuck out for me. I miss Prince.
3. Why did you decide to start a blog?
I was musing on this in one of the Mad Chatter conversations over at MadhattersNYC.
In starting a blog, I just wanted to have my own thing. Something creative that was just mine, with the effort spent purely on something I care about. Regardless of whether or not anyone read it, I would have created something. And if I touched or helped even one person in some small way, made them laugh or consider something differently, that would be worth it. My difficulty seems to be in making my own creation enough of a priority to spend time on it and blog consistently.
4. You’ve been kidnapped, the kidnapper is the main character from the last movie you watched. Who is it?
Scarlett O’Hara! Yikes. I would hate to have her kidnap me.
5. When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone?
Not long ago, I went to a large high school graduation party where I met, for the first time, about a dozen members of my partner’s family. I was a little nervous, but they were all very kind and fed me up considerably.
6. What is your favorite thing to do when you’re alone?
Read novels while eating bonbons, of course.
7. What is your favorite thing to cook?
Chocolate chip cookies. Baking cakes is a close second! Then, pasta. I just had to qualify.
8. What’s something that you’ve let hold you back in the past?
Fear.
9. What is something you have overcome?
10. Who are the most important people in your life?
11. What did you eat for breakfast?
My questions for you:
- How would you dress for the Oscars?
- Who is your favorite character actor?
- What do you find the most difficult about blogging?
- And what do you find the most satisfying?
- Name something you can cook well.
- Tell me, what is one of your guilty pleasures?
- What is your most favorite place in all the world?
- Confess—what was the last thing you binge-watched?
- What is the best way to connect with other bloggers?
- How do you learn about/keep up with the technical aspects of blogging?
- List a few blogs that inspire you.
My 11 Nominations
The 7 below are all fairly new to blogging, and I hope to encourage these lovelies to keep on bloggin’! If you respond with a Sunshine Blogger post, please tag me on Twitter @adventuringgal. I look forward to reading your post!
Travel and places to stay
Villa Paradiso Baracoa: Manuel and Roberto have a beautiful Casa Particular in Baracoa, Cuba. Similar to a B&B, “casas particulares” are private homestays or family homes that rent out bedrooms to travellers looking for a stay closer to the authentic country. This Cuban paradise is the place to go to explore untouched beaches on the Mapurisí coast while being indulged with delicious breakfasts and dinners! Check out the blog post Villa Paradiso’s Cuisine – Tradition & Innovation.
Tash Travels: Tasha is a travel blogger with a passion for film photography, currently living in Spain. She’s written about spending 7 weeks trekking around the US (including 3 National Parks in 4 days), visiting Stockholm solo, and about recently moving back to Spain.
Travel&Flo: Christine writes about alternative ways of traveling and exploring new cultures for those who travel, those who want to travel and those who are too broke to travel. Check out How To Travel The World Without Leaving Los Angeles. Her blog has a great “Taste the World” section I love!
The Wanderlosts: These 2 Bulgarian girls are passionate about travelling, wandering and getting lost. They love finding new places, experiencing new cultures and getting to know new cities. Check out their post about a wonderful old town in Bulgaria, Koprivshtitsa – The Hidden Trеasure.
Travel, lifestyle, food, and more!
Rambling Blue Owl: The Owl was born in France, and now is based in Montreal. She writes about travel, hiking, and various other ramblings. Her blog has a section on Everyday Ramblings, which includes some stories about single life, including going out on a bad date. Very bad. The whole is charmingly illustrated. Check out To the Doors of Hell, a series of posts about her trip to Iceland, where she visited Reykjavik and did a 5-day trek around the Hekla.
MinivanAdventures: April lives with her family in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Follow their minivan as they travel the country, explore new local parks, plan fun activities, read new books, and just experience life. Find out more about April’s home town in Grand Rapids: More Than the Beer City.
Sweet Savory Grace: Grace is a pastry chef and traveler who writes a food, travel and lifestyle blog. She writes a lot about chocolate, which I really like. See The Northwest Chocolate Festival and 5 Must-try Chocolates: San Francisco. I learned a lot about San Francisco in 15 Things to Do in San Francisco by a Local Tourist.
These 4 bloggers are not new, but they bring sunshine into my life!
MadhattersNYC: This blog is a must-read. Everything you should see, do and eat in NYC, plus great day trips from NYC. Also inveterate globetrotters, Lynn and Justin just came back from Greece. Check out Postcard Perfection: How To Spend A Day In The Charming Athens Neighborhood of Plaka.
The Places She Goes: Dorothy’s luxury travel blog chronicles her wandering tootsies all over the US and abroad. She has tons of expert tips on the Caribbean. I love her funny stories; my current favorite is Flying with a Puppy that Escapes in Airplane.
365 Happy Days and 365 Sporting Days: Debbie is my Twitter buddy from England. Her sports blog is about English sports–rugby and cricket and such. As you might have guessed, I am not a sports person. We connected over her love of travel and the wonderful photos she goes around taking with her iPhone. 365 Happy Days is her blog about living a full and happy life after a terrible loss. She lost her 21-year-old son to an accident in 2009, and in 2014 started a blog about how she finds a way to smile every day. Debbie does her 365 Happy Days challenge, and when those 365 days are up, she starts again! I just love her. Find her on Twitter at @debsknig.
Nomadic Dreamz: Neha is a fantastic blogger based in India who works full-time plus keeps up not one but TWO blogs. NomadicDreamz, her travel blog, is all about her passion for travel and food and her experiences traveling. Check out her recent post about this amazing temple complex: Temples, Coconuts and Ganesha: Hampi in Two Days. To Better Lives is her blog about positivity and wellness. Read Let’s talk about Depression for an insightful take on the importance of removing the stigma around depression.
and that makes my total 11! Whew!
For more lovely bloggers, see my MYSTERY BLOGGER AWARD post.
Come say hi!
Come say hello on Twitter @adventuringgal, Instagram @adventuringwoman or email me at Cynthia@adventuringwoman.com!
White Houses by Amy Bloom sounds like something I definitely need to add to my reading list, Cynthia! Thank you for the recommendation 🙂 And I miss Prince too, When Doves Cry is MY JAM.
It was a pleasure getting to know you better through this post! Sometimes we have to remind ourselves why we blog too, but people like you are a wonderful reminder. Thank you so much for the kind words and the nomination!
Lynn, your blog and your kindness always inspire me, just wanted to let you know how appreciative I am 🙂
Somehow I was not replying just commenting! Sorry for seeming late response on both posts!
Not at all! 🙂