Andrea over at Meandering the Maze bestowed the Liebster Award upon me recently.  Thank you Andrea, I’m honored.  For the longest time, I kept quiet about my blog, not knowing which direction I wanted to really head in with it.  I started blogging following an exceptionally craptastic year where I lost my crafting mojo.  At the first glimmer of it’s return, I had the idea that maybe if I started a blog, it would help that mojo stick around and maybe even inspire it.  The fact that anyone likes to read my babble leaves me feeling sort of ‘ah shucks’.  Really. Thank you.

“Liebster” is a German word meaning dearest, beloved or favorite, and the Liebster Award is sort of a chain letter among bloggers that’s intended to showcase exceptional up-and-coming blogs (typically, those with 200 or fewer followers). Now, there’s no evaluation committee or formal award process for the Liebster, but in a way it’s even nicer – it’s recognition that a peer has noticed and appreciated your hard work.

So, in receiving this award, I’m supposed to thank Andrea and pass it along to 5 others. They in turn are supposed to pass it along.  Without further ado, five of my favorite blogs. 

1.  From Prada to Payless – Just your average American family, finding themselves living paycheck to paycheck, facing foreclosure, wondering how all their hard work has landed them there.  Erin is honest, eloquent and real. 

2.  Savannah – Savannah is a rock star.  Not just your average college student with a talent for photography, Savannah’s list of good works is long, starting with THON as well as her own foundation, The Jedediah Thomas Smith Foundation in honor of her late brother.  How many 20 year olds do you know with their own foundation?  She’s a do-er.

3.  The View from Indigo House – Leni says she’s lived her life backwards, having had several careers before going to college.  She’s raised chickens, pigs, ducks as well as children and can milk a cow. She teaches and muses about food, gardens, culinary history, rural life, among other things.  She also can be found over at the Monticello blog where she has a monthly series on Jefferson era recipes. 

4.  Make it stop – While working on her novel, Vikki keeps us entertained with tales of motherhood, book reviews and social commentary.  (She’s also my Cville Swaps cohort.).   She makes some wicked French Chocolate Granola too.

5.  Makin’ Projiks – Sweet crafts, sweet thrift scores, sweet holiday decorations for all seasons and even sweeter kiddos.  Sarah may actually own more vintage linens and Christmas ornaments than me.  I love seeing her latest projects and her latest scores.

All of these women, many of whom I am honored to call friend outside of the blog world,  inspire and touch me in many ways. They are all smart, funny, talented women who shoot straight from the hip.  Definitely my kind of gals.

Thanks again Andrea!