Confessions of a Skincare Junkie

I’ve been nominated for a Leibster Blog award by the amazing and wonderful, Tiffany at Cake-pie.com.

Just what is this Leibster thing anyway? It took some sleuthing, but I did find a few facts. According to Sopphey Says, the first mention of the Leibster Award she was able to track down was from Germany blogger in December 2010. The word, Leibster, means “Sweetheart” or “Darling” in German.  It is actually used as a greeting for a boyfriend as in “Leibster Johannes” which would  start a letter to John.

Leibster Awards have several iterations with the number of readers and the number of questions changing as it passes along.  But the core of the award remains:

• This is a pat on the back to a blog with a small readership (current rules state 200 or fewer readers,but the original was for 2000 readers or fewer)
• You must thank your nominator. (THANKS, Tiffany Cake-pie!!!)
• You must state 11 facts about yourself.
• You must answer 11 questions posed by the nominator.
• You must nominate 11 more blogs and pass on the love.

So, basically it’s a blog form of a chain letter.  Far be it from me to break the chain!

11 Random Facts You May Not Know

1. I used to hate the color pink, but now it is one of my favorites.
2. I sing and play the violin, mostly Celtic stuff and some jazz standards.
   

   Performing with the Barking Spiders in Balitomore, Maryland, 1996.

3. I have bionic hips; both were replaced in 2010 due to arthritic degeneration; I am totally recovered now but can never do high-impact sports or sit in the lotus position again.
4. I played in the band at my own high school graduation, then dashed onstage to receive my diploma.
5. I love baking bread and will nurture a dough for 2 or more days to yeasty perfection.
6. I met my husband in a T’ai Chi class… 22 years ago; we don’t practice T’ai Chi anymore, but we are still married.
7. In 1984, I spent 7 months in China as an exchange student; I can still have basic conversation skills, but have lost all my reading.
   

   My mugshot from Nanjing University, September 1984; I was 21 years old.

8. I had the thrill of being at the launch of the Kepler Sattelite (which has discovered more than 700 planets)
9. I love being places but am not the most graceful traveller.
10. I spent 5 years in Buffalo, NY.
11. I had a panic attack the first time I went snorkelling, but as soon as I opened my eyes and saw all the cool stuff underwater, I lost all fear.
12. I have never been to a dermatologist.

Cake-pie’s Questions for me

1. What’s the worst thing about being grown up?
   Not having the energy of being in my 20s.  I had more free time then, too. Maybe there’s a correlation…
2.  Why did you decide to start blogging?
   It just seemed the thing to do.  I have so many products and writing about them is a good way to share what I learn and also justify the hoard…
   3. What is the most frustrating part of blogging?
   Feeling guilty about watching TV instead of writing a scheduled post…
   4. If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do?
   I’d probably look similar, only with a beard and beergut instead of shoulder-length hair and an apple belly.  I’d probably be a teacher instead of a secretary.
   5. You get a dream vacation for a month, where would you want to go?
   So many places!  But I’d love to spend a full month in either Turkey or Israel.  The culture, the henna, the food, the archaeology!
   6. Makeup, hair, clothes, shoes, nails — Choose only one!
   Hair. It’s what people notice first. Henna-red and curly.
   7. What is your best physical attribute?
   My clear skin… it calmed down in my 30s and is mostly normal.
   8. What is the most noble thing about yourself?
   Noble? I guess it’s that I do a lot of charity events.
   9. What have you done in the last year that you are really proud of?
   I made a painting and then turned it into a postcard for an art swap, and actually sent it out into the world.
   10. What’s your favorite movie that you saw in the last year?
   I liked Brave, but it’s not my fave of all time.
   11. Tell us a story about yourself! It can be funny, inspiring, short, long, or strange, but it has to be true!
   When I was a student in China, I got my hair cut at the campus barbershop.  It was definitely a cultural experience.  They had never seen curly hair like mine (it really went wild in the humid Shanghai summer) and I had a very limited vocabulary.  I just needed a trim since my bob had become a little scraggly and I wanted to look good for the new semester in Nanjing with a whole new group of exchange students.  I asked for what I thought was one inch…. but a 寸 cùn in Chinese is not the same as an inch in English… it’s more like 1.75inches… and when my hair dried and curled up, it looked like I had a red afro… needless to say, I learned the hard way that things rarely have straight translations when it comes to different languages… and fortunately, hair grows out so I looked my normal self by the time I had to return to the US in January.

My nominations for a Leibster Award:

1. Geetlee’s Nook by San Francisco artist, Gitanjali

2. Everyday Endeavours with Lorinda Fraser

3. Keep Smiling! with Theresa

4.  Reluctant Femme  by Anwyn

5.  Girl Unwinding an art blog by Dawn

6.  Cheryl’s Excellent Adventure featuring art journaling, adventures and photos from Cheryl

7.  A Day in the Life of…Me! by Julie, the DC resider

8. A Fool 4 Fabric by Margy who sews amazing things

9. Cheapskate Blethering by Jacqueline

10. Beloved Atmosphere by artist and Mom, Amy Askin

11. Flabby Face of Makeup by Jules

My questions for the nominees (should they accept this honor):

1. What is your ideal morning?
2. If you could have coffee (or tea) with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
3. Who inspired you?
4. If you could visit anywhere in the world (without worrying about money), where would you go?
5. Eyecreams: savior or waste of time?
6. Do you have pets? If so, what (and names)?
7. What got you started blogging?
8. What do you enjoy about blogging?
9. Ocean, mountains or desert?
10. Favorite book?
11. What’s your go-to dish for dinner?

Share the love and pass it forward.