Awards!

I've been slowly plodding along with my blog for a couple of years now, changing direction, doing my thing and just doing it for myself really - I've also used it to help fundraise for the Cancer Council, and organise events. So even though I've only ever really done this for myself and have my own creative outlet, it's still nice when someone else recognises your work, which is what fellow blogger Michelle from Jarrah Jungle has done by awarding myself and 4 other blogs with the Leibster Blog award!

Liebster is German for "dearest." The purpose of the Liebster Award is to help "newbie" blogs with less that 200 followers get noticed with a sort of sweet "Shout Out" of attention, and likewise, a sort of "Pay It Forward" is included, to help other blogs get due notice and attention.

How it works:

(1)Make a Post about your win putting the award button in your post.
(2)Link back to (& follow)the blogger who nominated you for the award.
(3)Pick five blogs with less than 200 followers that you feel deserving of the Liebster Award, and leave them a comment on their blog to let them know you've nominated them.
(4) Tell the 5 blogs you've chosen to 'Pay It Forward' and 'Share some Blog Love' by following the instructions for 5 more newbie blogs.
(5) Share five random facts about ourselves.


Ok, so here are the 5 random facts about me!


1) I hate coriander. HATE IT! The smell, the taste, both so pungent and nostril invading. It's awful. It's not my fault though, according to science, it's genetic. Ground coriander is delicious. Fresh coriander is the DEVIL!


2) I only have 1 kidney. I was diagnosed with Wilms tumour when I was a new born baby, and my parents were faced with the decision to either remove it, or have me undergo chemo to save it and allow me a life with 2 kidneys. They chose to get rid of it - and I have never had a problem with it! My lone kidney is a ripper, and I reckon it must be huge by now! Life is no different with one kidney, you just have to make sure you play no contact sports because if you get a knock to the kidney and damage it, you have no back up. So far so good, fingers crossed!


3) I have a VERY low tolerance to constant whingers and victims. I very much believe that you must BE the change you want to see, and those who stand around and complain that things aren't as they'd like, but do nothing, give me the shits. Accept who you are, flaws and all - only then can you really take steps toward self improvement.


4) I speak Dutch - I lived in the Netherlands for 2 years as a nanny, and while I was there I learned the language fairly well. It got to a stage where someone knew I had a weird accent but couldn't put their finger on where I was from - they guessed Belgium, where they are native Flemish speakers, a dialect of Dutch. I was stoked they thought I was a native speaker! I love speaking it, it's quite a musical language and they often sound like they're about to laugh mid sentence. Would LOVE to go back, I only left because my visa expired and I couldn't stay, and I was totally gutted - I was in love with the place!


5) I love going home to visit my parents, even though I don't go that often. Aside from going home to see the olds and my dog, Mum and Dad always make me cook dinner, which is awesome, because they give me their wallet and tell me to go shopping. AWESOME! I can make what I want. Mum n Dad love it because they don't have to cook, and I love it because I can cook with a bigger budget than what I'm used to. Bonus!

Here are my 5 fave smaller blogs!


1) Lifes Shiny Pretty Things by Anna Ogilvie. A cute blog about life, goals, travel, love and la dolce vita!


2) Eat Meets West by Bri Whitton. LOVE this blog. Recipes and posts about how good it is to live in Perth. Writes with a voice that is totally hers and it always makes me smile. She also cooks delicious things, I know, I've tried them!


3) Col Panna by Liv Bambola. Recipes that are totally replicable at home, and some fab cakes! Most recipes have step by step instructions, you cannot go wrong! A gorgeous gal with a lovely fella, and a cute dog!


4) Musings of a happy life by Kirstie Fitzgerald. Does pretty much what it says on the box. She writes about stuff she loves, what shes up to, and extra bits and bobs. Its a new find, even though I've been following her on Twitter for a while! Def worth a read!


5) Food Endeavours of the Blue Apocalypse by Ai-Ling Truong. I don't know if she has less than 200 followers or not, I doubt it, she would have more - but she's worth the inclusion. I love this blog because you learn something in every post, they're all really well researched and cover aspects of whatever topic she's writing about that you never thought of. Mostly foodie posts but a few other ones about music and events going on in Perth too! I also think her random facts about herself will be interesting!


So now you guys have to "pay it forward" and follow the 5 steps that I did. Though of course, "have to" is a strong word. I just want to read your random facts :D