NaBloPoMo day 18: feelin’ the love

each morning when i wake up, pretty much the first thing i do (after peeling the cat off my head) is look at my phone to see what has happened overnight and what my schedule is for the day. this morning, i was surprised to find a sweet little piece of news that truly warmed my heart. and good thing, because it was effing cold outside, y’all. 25° is simply not an acceptable pre-Thanksgiving temperature. i do live in the south for a reason, after all.

at any rate, the surprise was that Martina over at A Splash of Mimosa nominated little old me for a Liebster Award! yay! but what the heck is a Liebster? liebster is German for sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome. the Liebster Award is given by bloggers to up-and-coming bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers. blogging is about building a community, so it’s a great way to connect with other bloggers and help spread the word about newer bloggers/blogs.

having released this blog to the world only 2 months ago, it’s still exciting when people simply notice. i’m surprised daily by the support i’m getting and the number of you guys who like or follow and leave comments that let me know you actually read all the way to the bottom of a post! thank you, you rock. i love that Martina thought to help introduce this new girl around a little, and i’m more than happy to pay it forward! definitely go check out her other 10 nominees, who all seem quite lovely. thanks, girl, and here goes . . . (snuggle down with a warm beverage, y’all. this is gonna get long.)

the rules for this award are:

• answer the 11 questions that the person that nominated you gave you
• list 11 facts about yourself
• name 11 bloggers to nominate for the Liebster Award that have under 200 followers
• give your nominees 11 questions to answer

Martina’s questions for me

1. What is in the top spot of your Christmas (holiday) list?
can you believe there’s not even 1 material thing i really want this year? me neither. the cloud of 2013, the worst year in the history of time, still hung over us through the holidays last year and all we wanted to do was get through to 2014. it was dark, y’all. this year i’m just happy that circumstances and the mood are all 1,000% better and i’m looking forward to reviving our epic holiday party and celebrating my favorite time of year with friends and family. but Spy if you’re reading, you know a little blue box never hurts.

2. Who is your favorite One Direction member? If you don’t like them, who is your favorite member of your favorite band?
um. is this like my generation’s “who’s your favorite in Duran Duran?” okay, good. because that i can do. i just looked at these boys and i couldn’t even choose one just on the basis of looks because i’m old enough to be their mother and it felt creepy. so, for the record, JT forever.

3. Instagram or Facebook?
i’m definitely on Facebook more. my core set of friends seems to be much more active there, so it’s a better way for me to stay up on the latest.

4. What is your most favorite TV show?
definitely a tie between Mad Men and House of Cards. do i have to choose? no. it is impossible.

5. What part of the Thanksgiving meal are you most looking forward to?
really hoping my mom will make it this year. she hasn’t come to visit in a couple years and i really miss having her in our home.

6. Can you keep up with the Kardashians?(I most definitely cannot)
omg. no way. but how i do love to watch the trainwreck.

7. Big city or small town?
definitely big city. i do have small town fantasies now and then, but in my heart of hearts, i know i would be bored senseless.

8. Do you ever regret you decision to blog?
not yet!

9. How did you come up with your blog name?
gaaaaaaahhhh. it was so hard. i struggled for months. for real. i wanted something that sounded cute, girly and kind of quirky/sassy/unexpected. i toyed with variations on and around my name, which just felt so, well, Kardashian. i didn’t really know what shape this thing was actually gonna take, so i didn’t want to be too specific about a topic. i wanted to give a nod to my life in the south (peaches) and i liked the idea of 2 things that were kind of opposites, because life is so full of contradictions. i finally sat down one Saturday afternoon and just brainstormed and did lots of research on other blog names so i would be sure not to come up with something great that was already taken. i was playing around with a lot of P alliteration for some reason and went down a long road with peaches, pearls, pickles . . . landed on peaches and then finally came up with poppycock and instantly knew that was it! basically getting to curse in an oh, so proper kind of way. i loved that it sounded a little British and old fashioned, while being a little irreverent.

10. What was the last book you’ve read?
i’m currently reading Rich Kids of Instagram. “Based on the wildly popular blog ‘Rich Kids of Instagram,’ a dishy and hilarious novel about the intersecting lives of the world’s most extravagant, unapologetically uber-rich teenagers.” it’s so trashy and terrible, but i’m loving it.

11. What keeps you motivated to blog? What keeps your creativity flowing?
i committed to Blogtober14 and now NaBloPoMo. and told people. i hate having to publicly admit i failed, so that’s enough motivation for me. for now. once things get back to normal in December, i’m sure it will be different. but i actually find that the challenge of posting every day helps keep me creative. i read a lot of other blogs and prompts for ideas, as well as just looking at my own life through a different lens. i’ve realized that things that seem boring to me because i’ve experienced them a thousand times might actually be interesting to someone else. and  i’ve started to think more about how everyday moments can actually become great stories if you step away from what happened or how you feel about it and imagine what it looks like from an outside perspective. and that charge i get when i write a post i love is totally inspiration for the next one.

11 facts about me

check the classic Blogtober14 prompt: facts about me for a visual. there are only 8 there. so . . .

1. 3 is my lucky number.
2. my aliases include: Emma, KDubz, Kiki and Stin.
3. i take my coffee with cream.
4. i’ve lived in TN, NC, MA, VA, FL, DC and GA.
5. in my next life, i want to be a trust fund kid.
6. wine is my favorite food.
7. i’m a Sagittarian (best. sign. evah!).
8. i believe your life is as big as your imagination.
9. i’m definitely psychic on occasion.
10. i’m terribly scared of heights.
11. my favorite vacation spot is Tybee Island (also another throwback to Blogtober14).

my 11 nominees

was totally psyched to just discover that WordPress Reader displays your number of readers to followers. because i had no idea how i was gonna do this part 20 minutes ago. at any rate, i’m listing some blogs i’ve been reading/enjoying lately/just discovered that i would love for more people to know about! if you’ve already got a Liebster on your shelf, you go girl/guy! ask Meryl Streep, nominations count. and if you’re not into this kind of thing, no offense taken if you don’t list up. just know you’re admired from afar.

1. Angela — Sanity Waiting to Happen
2. Olivia — Love and Olives
3. Ms. Bonaparte — HEYMSBONAPARTE
4. Alex — Saxlepres
5. Maggie — girlwithaplanner
6. Andrea — each lovely thing
7. Racheal — Rachealizations
8. Shantel — Sweet Nothings
9. Libby — Honestly, Libby
10.  Keeping Kadence
11. A Little Place of My Own

please link me or post a comment here so i can read your responses — i can’t wait!

my 11 questions for you (in no particular order)

1. why did you start blogging?
2. what do you love about blogging?
3. where’s the most interesting place you’ve traveled to?
4. where’s your favorite place you’ve lived?
5. what would you like to be good at?
6. have you ever met a celebrity? if so, who? if not, who would you like to meet?
7. which celebrity do you look like?
8. cats or dogs?
9. how did you come up with your blog name? (continuing, because i love this one!)
10. first concert and best concert?
11. what are you thankful for?

thanks, again, Martina and have fun everyone!