One of my friends nominated my blog for the Liebster Award. Never heard of it? It's a blog thing. It's pretty much a made up award where bloggers that are nominated answer a set of questions about their blog & then nominate 8-10 other blogs that each have under 200 folowers on any social media platform (Pinterest, Blogger, Instagram, etc.). The goal is kind of to find new blogs to follow & this chain of nominations creates a community of bloggers. Cool, right?
( My friend, Stephanie at Heart In The Home nominated me! Thanks, Stephanie!)
And now for the questions!:
1. How did you decide on the title of your blog?
Sweet Alyssum is the name of a flower. My mother & I used to plant Sweet Alyssum in our little garden when I was like 5 years old. Cute, right?
2. What made you decide to start your blog?
Normally using the excuse "everybody's doing it" isn't a good thing, but in this case it was! I had a whole bunch of friends that were blogging & I wanted to, but was concerned that no one would read it. But then I decided that even if I was the only one that read it, I should still do it. I was tired of being concerned about what others thought, so I did it. I also wanted to have this record of what Bubs & I are up to.
3. What is your favorite food?
Generally anything Mexican: enchiladas, tamales, etc. Especially slathered in guac & cheese! *drools*
4. What is your favorite place to shop?
Target!!! I love love love Target. It's my happy place. I especially love the dollar spot & the well-lit makeup section. Target FTW!
5. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be & why?
Anyplace hot & tropical would be pretty cool. Also: Italy & France have been on my radar lately. Pretty much anywhere picturesque & warm/hot.
6. What's your favorite pastime other than blogging?
Blogging is such a hobby of mine that I really had to think about this one! I love to read & craft, more specifically I'm really into making greeting cards right now.
7. What's your favorite post you're written & why?
I think be post "Today was a hard day" is my fave because it was the hardest to write, but felt the most freeing when I wrote it. I don't like people knowing that I have depression, but I do like blogs where people admit that they have faults. I feel like it's really easy to pretend that we all have perfect lives & our marriages & relationships are perfect & stage pictures to make it look like our homes are always spotless, but I really need those real posts with emotion & sometimes even brute honesty.
8. A long lost relative gives you a large sum of money, what do you do with it?
Pay off debts! Put away some for Bubs' school & save the rest for a down payment on a house. We'd also probably go & have dinner somewhere expensive just because. ;)
9. What is your all time favorite movie?
Easy! The Princess & The Frog! I have watched that movie so many times its ridiculous! I also have all the songs memorized too, just in case you were wondering! I love that Tiana works her tail off to achiever her dream! I also like that she's very humble & down to earth. Tiana is a boss!
10. Where do you see your blog going in the next year?
I feel like there are some good changes in store for this little blog in the next year. Bubs & I are in a transition period where we could go a number of different ways. Stay tuned for updates!
11. Where does your blog inspiration come from?
I feel like I'm always inspired by memes with general authority quotes. It sounds silly, but it's true! Those one-liners really pack a punch! Mostly it comes from my life experiences.
I nominate these super great blogs!:
(Ok, so I cheated a bit & didn't put a minimum of 8 on the list. These are the only blogs I follow that have less than 800 views.)
New Years' Eve recap:Yay for me!
(finally)
This is my (step)nephew Riley. He's an eight year-old version of a hoot. He says hilarious things all the time ie "I'm a marshmallow!" (re: his new coat)
...driving to drop Little Miss off at her friend's house so they could get ready for the NYE dance...
We went to Old Sacramento Sac to watch the holiday show & the fireworks!
We went straight to Joe's Crab Shack to reserve our table! It was so crowded that we waited 1.5 hours before we could be seated! Luckily, there was lots to see & do.
"It's hard being a marshmallow!"
Mr. CHiPy bought Riley a light saber. He was so happy!
It's not a trip to Old Sac without going to Candy Heaven! We tried tons ridiculous amounts of taffy.
Mother had to show off her light saber/highschool-Tall-Flag skills.
For some reason Subway had a giant taco guy. Do they make tacos now???
The holiday show was so fun! It started out with some history of some of the buildings in Old Sac & then this guy read "The Night Before Christmas". As he read, the story came to life before our very eyes! It turned into this epic battle between Santa & Jack Frost! All of the lights on the street & the giant tree were in sync with the music/story! So well done!
Then we watched this band.
Did I mention that we were also counting down until the Big Game?!
Joe's was a blast per usual. We ate two whole steampots & somehow still had room for dessert!
Then the fireworks started, so we had to book it outside to watch.
Talk about amazing. We had a great view!
This is what Bubs did. It's tradition.
Ha!!!
Since then:
We went to Costco & this cutie wanted to carry everything. He assigned me to hold the receipt.
I tried out all manner of braids.
...and then I was obsessed with side dutch braids.
And then last week:
I hung out with Brittany & we took her littles for a walk.
And then I babysat her littles for a bit. I love these kiddos.
His firetruck & I have matching glasses.
I love these kiddos!
...and I loved this sunset...
To top off all the kiddo/girly fun, Brittany waxed my eyebrows. Yay!
Random:
I bought this dress.
I ordered this dress on eShakti! It's this amazing clothing site that allows you to customize your clothes! ie I bought this dress & customized it to have longer length & added cap sleeves for only $7.50 more! (You can also change the neckline too!) I am so excited for it to get here so I can show you all how cute it looks! You guys! Go to the eShakti website & sign up: you'll get $30 off your first order!
I did my hair.
I've been turning my side dutch braids into buns. Effortless & feminine!
Bubs' team kicked butt.
Bubs had a field day when this happened. He was so proud, you would have thought he coached Ohio State himself.
I did this.
Preach!
We went on a date.
Bubs' & I went to dinner at this new burger place by our house. It was pretty good. He was loving his pastrami burger.
Look at these cute letters!
...I love this guy. I feel like these pics belong in one of those memes where you zoom in a bunch on one person's face. Ha.
Weekly Obsessions:
Trivia Crack app.
We are so so obsessed! We play all the time. Have you played it? If not, you have to download it right now!
Ways I'm trying to improve:
Scheduling alone time.
I have never been good with spending time alone. I'm trying to get better about getting to know myself & spend time meditating.
Saying no.
I always say too much. I'm trying to learn that I don't need to explain myself.
Thankful Thursday: tender mercies, prayer, access to clean running water, Bubs, work family, literal family, best friends, technology, civil rights, the gospel of Jesus Christ, being an American, new opportunities to grow daily.
Ok, so I'm still super behind with my posts, but I'll be announcing some big news in my next post! So stay tuned! I love you all & I hope you're having an AMAZING week so far!
XOXO,
