Liebster Award Acceptance and Slight Modification

I was nominated for the Liebster Award by D7ana of A Philly Collector of Playscale Dolls.  

The rules of acceptance are as follows:

• Post the award on your blog. 
• Thank the blogger who presented this award and link back to their blog.  Thank you D7Ana.  I appreciate the nomination.  (See the link to her blog above.)
• Write 11 random facts about yourself.

1.  I have worn glasses since 3rd grade due to a severe astigmatism.  I own several pairs, but actively wear four for different occasions/reasons.  

Computer glasses for near vision only

The glasses in the second photo are are progressive lenses for watching TV in bed and falling asleep (top); outside/inside away from home glasses (middle) and sunglasses (bottom).  The middle and bottom pairs share the same frame style.

2.  I was an honor graduate and made the dean's list in college.

Me at 17, in a head shot inserted under the graduation cap graphics in my memory book

3.  I have worked in the same profession for the past 43 years.  

4.  Thirty-three (33) of the 43 years in the same profession have been enjoyed from the comforts of my home offices.  The current home office also serves as my doll room.

The back of  my small work table is filled with dolls.  Dolls are also on my left, right, and behind me.

5.  I cannot type for an extended period on a flat keyboard.

A one-of-a-kind church doll and framed history; this one was made for my mother for Mother's Day 2014

6.  I make church dolls.  Each one is a handmade, one of a kind.

7.  The first 11 church dolls made were gifts for special people.  I began selling the dolls in 2014.  

8.  This is my second Liebster Award.  

9.  I am one of five children and the older of the two girls born to my parents.  

10.  I love Dreyer's Slow Churned French Silk ice cream, eaten from a tea cup immediately after arriving home with the purchase because the ice cream has softened and I am able to scoop some from the top.  Once it has hardened in the freezer, I can take it or leave it, but there's nothing like eating the almost melted consistency.  Yum!

11.  I dress casually 99.9% of the time.  

The rules continued:

• Nominate 11 bloggers who you feel deserve this award and who have less than 200 followers.  I will only nominate five*.  They are:  1) Dark Room Dolls; 2) Brenova's Blog; 3) Clicking Dolls; 4) Smoking Needles; and  5) Best to Keep It Simple.
• Answer 11 questions posted by the presenter and ask your nominees 11 questions. 

My questions and answers from D7ana are:  

1. How did you become a blogger? I have always loved to write.  Creating a blog was inspired by my desire to promote my published works. 
2. What was your favorite subject in school and why?  English was my favorite school subject.  I love words, particularly the English language. 
3. You can be any doll you want, brought to life. Which doll are you and why?  This is a great question.  Because I would like to be both beautiful and fierce (not taken for granted because of my exterior appearance) my choice is Ajuma by Paul Pham.
4. What is the coolest story ever connected to your blog?  I am not sure if this post would be considered "cool," but I could almost experience Oprah's surprise as she received a portrait doll from Marie Osmond on the November 9, 2007, Oprah Show.  I published the post some 2-1/2 years after the show aired after stumbling upon the images I captured while watching the 2007 show.  Another post that could possibly be placed in the “cool” category is the final one written about the process of using dark T-shirt transfer paper to transform the face of Big Beautiful Doll Dasia into the likeness of the late Maya Angelou. 
5. What is your all time favorite movie? The 1959 release of Imitation of Life remains my favorite movie.
6. What do you do when you are not blogging?  When not blogging, I work a full-time job that requires listening to sound files while reading associated text. These are individual audits which are scored for accuracy with feedback offered to the editors.  I enjoy visits from my grandsons.  Even if I am not in the same room with them, just their presence and doing things for them brings me joy.  In my solitude I read books on my Kindle and/or iPad.  I watch DVR’d recordings of previously televised shows I have missed.  I enjoy networking with fellow collectors.  Of late, my mother has been recuperating at my home from two back-to-back hospital admissions.  This has kept me quite busy and cooking more than I desire. 
7. What are your Grail dolls/action figures?  An authentic Leo Moss doll remains my sole Holy Grail doll.
8. What three countries or cities would you like to visit?  My sister has lived in Roanoke, Virginia for two decades and unless she comes home (which she rarely does), I am unable to see her in the flesh.  I no longer take extended trips anywhere, so my chances of going to VA or anywhere else anytime soon are slim to none.  Therefore, I won't bother naming two other cities or countries.   
9. Is there a project you dream of accomplishing?  I would love to have the free time to complete another book that is not necessarily doll related that will be well supported and read by the masses.  I would also like to overcome my paralyzing fear of flight and other forms of long-distance travel.  This remains a work in progress.
10. What are your favorite foods?  Pastries are my favorite foods but I do not indulge much.  Every now and then I will give in to the craving for an early morning cinnamon roll or blueberry doughnut.  When made with the right combination of cinnamon and nutmeg I love tea cakes.  Cuisine-wise, I love guacamole and most non-spicy Mexican foods.
11. Any tips you would give future bloggers?   Tips to future bloggers include:  write about your passion or about anything in which you are well versed.  Make your blog both entertaining and informative.  Always consider your audience and create ways to keep readers captivated; be concise; always proofread, do not publish until you have checked for spelling and grammar errors (Blogspot has a built-in spellcheck feature), add at least one or two quality images to each post that are related to the subject, and preview each post prior to publishing. 

I would like for the five bloggers I nominated to answer the same questions I was asked by D7ana.  *If for any reason any of my nominees have been nominated for this award by someone else recently, please do not feel obligated to follow through.  

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