Liebster Award | My Joy in Chaos

Last week I was nominated for a Leibster award by the super sweet Demelza over at The Year of the Daffodil.

She has such wisdom and love in her posts plus she’s on my wavelength of really embracing and loving the life she’s living. I appreciate her stories and encouragement in life!

Here are the rules of accepting the award

Thank the person/blog who nominated you and post a link to their blog on your blog.
Display the award on your blog. This can be done by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a widget (note: the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog/post).
Answer the 11 questions about yourself that your nominating blogger chooses for you.
Provide 11 random facts about yourself.
Nominate 5-11 blogs that you feel deserve the award who have fewer than 1000 followers.
Create a list of questions for the bloggers to answer.
List these rules in your post
Inform the blogs that you nominated that they have been awarded the award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it.

Here are the questions I was given and my answers

How did you choose your blog name?
I wanted something that would showcase remaining sane and positive in what can be a very hectic and loud life. Having five kids in six years means LOTS of noise but it really is lots of fun too. I had SOOO many brainstorming sessions but nothing felt right until My Joy in Chaos popped into my head. Hubby and I knew immediately it was the right one.
What advice would you give to someone about to start a blog.
Take the time to plan things out! Do your research about what you want to write about, the best blogging platforms (I use squarespace but I know lots use wordpress), tax info, how to grow, all of that. And make sure you really love your topic. You will burn out and dread writing if it isn’t something you love.
Where is your favourite place to relax?
Probably my couch. Give me a cup of coffee and either a good book, movie, or show and I’m set. And probably some cookies or a pastry as well. And my Micah by my side. I’m simple.
Do you have a favourite post from your blog?
Oh man. I really enjoyed doing my 101 things I love post because it was fun to just write about nearly anything that popped into my head. Another favorite would be Seeing the Stars because it was the first time when I had a post in mind but as I started writing God really impressed another message on my heart.
What or who inspires you?
My husband, Micah, hands down. He is incredibly thoughtful and motivates me to be a more kind and generous person. He will ask what he can do to help when he can sense I’m feeling overwhelmed, probably does more diaper changes than I do, wrestles with the kiddos, and is so hardworking it’s crazy. I feel blessed beyond measure that I get to call that handsome dude mine 😉
What band would you most like to see live?
Oh boy. It would probably be a band that I listened to in late high school/college if I had to pick one. I’ve seen most of my favorites at least once but I think the one I’d love to see most would be Dashboard Confessional. And probably just Chris Carrabba on his own like when he first started. I simply love acoustic guitar music with no other instruments. Just beautiful.
What do you love to do when you are not blogging?
Hang out with my family. We are a pretty simple crew. We spend most of our free time playing at home or wandering around stores. We are a big LEGO loving family and are big fans of the new LEGO Dimensions game (aff) and will often play together. Now that it’s finally nice out we are spending more time outside being silly.
I also really enjoy cooking/baking (duh), being crafty, and reading. I daydream of a time when I can just sit on the deck and read for hours uninterrupted but I know that day is at least five years away when all the kids are in school so I’m not going to wish the time away!
What book are you reading at the moment?
I just finished Loving My Actual Life by Alexandra Kuykendall and now I’m listening to Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud. I had started it several months ago but had to return it so I’m picking up where I left off. I love listening to audiobooks since I can listen and clean the kitchen or fold laundry at the same time!
What is your favourite meal to make for someone else?
(Can you tell Demelza is from NZ? I love reading her posts with all the extra u’s, hehe!) My favorite meal to make for someone else? Oh geeze! For Micah it’s probably breakfast burritos. He would be happy to eat those every day of the week. They are on the menu every Saturday morning but if I ever can’t think of what to make it’s usually his suggestion as well. And for others? Probably whatever their favorite is! If I’m cooking for someone specifically I want to treat them so I’ll ask for their favorites or at least a suggestion and try to accommodate their preferences. I want to bless people when I cook for them!
Do you have a memory from when you were little that you would like to share?
When we first moved into our house I was about 11 and my sister was about 7. I remember a new friend and I wanted to play a trick on them so we got some old stained note cards and wrote weird messages on them and hid them in the closet where my sister would find them. We tried to convince her that the new house was haunted. I don’t think she believed us but we thought it was pretty funny.
Describe how you would spend your perfect day?
Sleeping in! Followed by a fantastic brunch of lots of different yummy foods and lots of coffee (with various creamers because I don’t do black coffee). I think spending some time outside either with a walk, garage sales (with some good finds!), or a farmers market would be awesome. A light lunch/snack (because I slept in and ate a huge brunch) with some time spent reading/relaxing or maybe a massage would fit perfectly in the afternoon. Then an awesome dinner out (so there are no dishes) with kids that are so well behaved it goes above and beyond there normal good behavior 😉 Maybe end the day cuddling on the couch with a good movie, a bowl of ice cream or a slice of cheesecake seems like a good way to end.

And here are 11 random facts about me!

I currently have purple, blue, and pink hair but I can’t decide what to do next. It’s growing out quickly and I need to choose soon!
My dream is to have a kitchen with double ovens and a large island. I’m fairly easy to please with the rest of the house but someday I would love to have that.
I went to school to be an English teacher because I love reading and wanted to inspire kids to love it as well. I never persued a job in the teaching field.
I’m a nail biter. I have been since I was a little girl. I’m getting better and there are times I can actually polish my nails and it looks good because they’ve grown out! And then there is the majority of the time when they are barely there. Thankfully I no longer bite so far down that they hurt.
Reese’s Puffs are my favorite cereal. I’m pretty sure I could eat them every day.
My favorite pizza toppings are pepperoni, ham, bacon, pineapple, and mushrooms.
I can only eat bell peppers fresh on sandwiches or cooked for fajitas. And I’m learning to eat them in salsa. All the other ways just don’t fly with me.
I have a slight problem with “internet window shopping.” I will spend far too much time on a store’s website adding all sorts of things into my cart and click exit without buying anything. I’d accomplish significantly more some days if I didn’t do this but sometimes I need retail therapy without actually buying anything!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE coffee shakes. Not frappes or coolers made with ice (although those are also good) but coffee plus ice cream plus flavor. White chocolate caramel is probably my favorite. I can’t wait to make some this summer!
I occasionally miss playing softball. I played in late elementary school and again in high school and I really enjoyed it. But I don’t have the desire or time to actually be in a league these days so at some point I’ll teach the kids since a family of seven can have a decent game all on our own 😉
I love going barefoot so my feet need some serious love. They are kind of scary. And now that flip flop weather is here (hopefully to stay) I need to make an appointment to get a pedi. It will only take a slight layer off but maybe if I get the ball rolling I’ll be better about it?

I have decided to nominate:

Here are my questions for them:

You only get one type of cuisine for the rest of your life. What do you choose?
What inspired you to start your blog?
Favorite genre to read?
Least favorite fruit or veggie?
What is your favorite blog post you’ve written?
Best advice you’ve ever been given?
Describe your dream vacation.
Oddest moment/thing that has brought you joy?
Favorite quote or verse?
What was your least favorite subject in school?
What’s your “Love Language”?

And don’t forget to share 11 random facts about yourself!

Thank you again to Demelza from The Year of the Daffodil for nominating me for this award. It’s wonderful being in a community of bloggers that encourage and support one another!

Did you hear about the new weekly devotional I’m hosting? It takes place every Thursday right here on the blog! Click here to find out what you need to know to join in.

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