The Sunshine Blogger Award 2x

Hello, one and all! Dear, dear, ever so dear Sarah and Samantha have kindly tagged us here on our new blog for the Sunshine Blogger Award! Thank you ever so much, we love thinking about and answering these types of questions!

Ze Rules
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you in the blog post and link back to their blog.
2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
3. Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
4. List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog.

Sarah’s Questions

What is your favorite time of the year? Not necessarily a season (unless that truly is your favorite) but maybe a holiday, feast day, yearly event, or liturgical season. What makes it your favorite?

Katherine
Hanukkah is one of my favorite holidays of the year! During Hanukkah, we look back on the story of the Maccabees (found in the apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees) and how God moved miraculously on behalf of His people against the Greeks who were forcibly trying to assimilate them into Greek culture and religion. It’s customary during this festival to light hanukkiahs (symbolic of the menorah in the Temple),

eat fried foods such as Latkes and donuts,

and play dreidel!

I have really fond memories of growing up celebrating this holiday with our friends in our bible-study group. We would all light out hanukkiahs together – one candle for each of the eight nights – sing songs, all while gazing at the flickering lights. I remember our friends frying keglies (donuts) in their kitchen for us all to eat – such good times!

Grace
My favorite time of year is the tail end of summer and the beginning of fall. The heat is giving way to zippy cool temps which fill you with energy, the garden is winding down, the fall holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot are in there as well; it’s a time to breathe in the fresh air and think about the future!

If you could learn any musical instrument, which would you choose?

Katherine
Hmm…..Maybe violin? I love the violin’s music – it’s so beautiful.

Grace
I would like to become more accomplished with the piano, but if I were to tackle something new, I think I’d like to learn the guitar. It seems to be one of those universal instruments you can play all sorts of stuff on and there is a historical nostalgia attached as well that makes me happy!

Describe your dream sitting room/living room. (Pictures are a bonus!)

Katherine
How about a cozy little attic library room? Dimly lit bookshelves all around with a small interior sitting area? Cozy chairs and a sleepy kitty ready to jump up on your lap while you read…
Photo Inspiration:

Grace
So I looked through all my Pinterest pins, but I couldn’t find anything I REALLY like. My dream room doesn’t have to be too big, but there needs to be room for several bookshelves and several comfy couches or chairs…maybe a bean bag….maybe! Painted in a warm color, a few pictures maybe on the walls, honestly it’s more the people you share it with than than the stuff that is in it!

What do your daydreams usually consist of?

Katherine
Sometimes while listening to music I will imagine a kind of “music video” to go along with the song that’s playing. (I confess that I adore intensively emotional moments/scenes….)

Grace
I can’t figure out if I actually daydream! According to Google, it’s simply your mind wandering to something entirely your own. In that case, I daydream about things I’d like to do in the near and far future or think up story ideas and find myself with way too many plot bunnies!

Where’s your favorite spot in the world to pray and talk to God?

Katherine
I enjoy praying in the mornings on my bed after doing my morning reading. I usually wake up, go downstairs for a cup of coffee, then return upstairs and sit and sip while I read and do my devotions. Another place is while walking our dog in our field in the morning. We have a dog that is still in training so we let her loose in our field to run every morning/night. She usually needs someone to go walk with her so normally, both Grace and I walk with her, but on the off times when it’s just me, it’s a nice opportunity to walk, think and pray.

Grace
My bedroom! It’s my quiet place where I read my Bible and do my studies in the mornings and I often retreat to it during the day when things get too chaotic. I’ve got a comfy chair there and all my books, journal, pens, etc.

What’s the most recent quote you wrote down somewhere or saved on Pinterest/Instagram?

Katherine
‘If you even feel like giving up, just remember there’s a little girl watching who wants to be just like you. Don’t disappoint her.’ Saved on Pinterest by Lexy

Grace
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him” G.K. Chesterton
I REALLY love this quote and the idea behind it. Like REALLY LOVE IT!

Describe a delightfully ideal Saturday afternoon for you.

Katherine
Saturdays for me are Shabbat (Sabbath) and so they are rest days at our house! 🙂 Some of my fondest Shabbat memories are the times when we invited my brother or long time friends to spend Shabbat and the rest of the weekend with us, or when we’d be visiting the same friends and spending Shabbat at their house. So an ideal Shabbat afternoon for me would be spending it with these special people, reading the weekly Torah portion together, discussing it, sharing coffee, dessert, and chocolate, talking about everything and anything, getting inspired by each other, reading books, playing games, snuggling on the couch, taking walks….yes, it would be a full afternoon!!

Grace
Saturday is Shabbat for me, so a delightfully ideal Shabbat afternoon would be spent reading, studying with my family, maybe playing a game or having a good discussion about Torah or marriage or life in general. *sigh* I need an ideal day!

Out of horses, giraffes, dolphins, and elephants, which one would you choose for a pet and why?

Katherine
Horses!

They are so beautiful and I’d love to be able to go riding across the fields!

Grace
HORSES!!!!! What could be better than a beautiful horse? I used to have a Paint named Alvin, that was WAY too much for little 13 year old me, but I miss him so much!!! I’m a horse girl in spirit if not in reality!

What is your favorite medium of art whether you actually use it or just appreciate it? Acrylics, watercolor, pastels, charcoal, mosaics, etc…?

Katherine
Can I go a little off the beaten path and say Junk Journaling? I know it isn’t painting or sketching, but I really love this form of creativity! I love seeing what people have created via Pinterest!

Grace
I’m not very well versed with art mediums, but I do like paintings and pencil drawings.

What is your favorite smell?

Katherine
The ocean. Sometimes in the mornings, the air outside our house will smell salty like the sea and I just love those mornings! Grace and I call them “Sea Days”!

Grace
Freshly baked bread. The Ocean. Coming home after being away for awhile. I don’t know what it is, but our house has this wonderful spicy-like-cinnamon-spicy-smell to it. I only notice it when I’ve been away for a few day, which I’m doing consistently right now, so I’m appreciating it all the more!

How do you come up with your blog post ideas?

Katherine
Usually, from our interests or current “passions”! If there’s a subject we’re feeling strongly about, we may post about it, if we watch some good movies, we might review/recommend them etc. We also will “steal” ideas from other bloggers! 🙂

Grace
Usually inspiration will just kinda hit! I’ll be thinking about a movie I’ve watched or a book I’ve read and it’ll flow into “deep thoughts” and that’ll flow into a post or two. Or Katherine and I will be talking about stuff usually while doing dishes or chores, and we’ll decide to explore it further on here!

And we’re done with Part 1!

Part 2, courtesy of Samantha over at Bookshire

Have you ever had an encounter with an unusual animal (either in the wild or otherwise)?

Katherine
Not too long ago, we saw a Road Runner run across our yard! We were so surprised!

Grace:
…I don’t think so…define unusual! I have been around a blind cow named Helen and goat named Havi who is an escape artist…even more so than your average goat, but both of those aren’t exactly unusual!

Would you dog-ear a library book? If not, what’s a weird thing you’ve used as a bookmark?

Katherine
No, I wouldn’t! 🙂 Hmmm…..a play ticket?

Grace:
*GASP* NEVER! I’ve a thing against dog-earing books; my Dad does it and I’m like “THE PAPER!!!!!!” As to weird bookmarks, I have used a playbill before…but actually my absolute favorite bookmark is a playing card that I found in a book I bought.

What’s your favorite Christmas song? (I know I’m out of season to ask this, bear with me)

Katherine
I’m going to exchange this for a Hanukkah song if that’s ok 🙂
Here is one of my favorites!

Grace:
Can I do a Hanukkah song? This one’s a classic!

Have you ever been out of the country? If so, where? If not, where would you like to go?

Katherine
I have!! My brother, Richard moved to England and we’ve visited him a couple times! I so enjoyed spending time there – we got to go to see lots of neat places, but what I really liked most was the atmosphere/feeling that I got while I was there. I know it sounds odd, and really weird not to like England because of Westminster Abbey or Buckingham Palace, but because you just liked the feel of the country or something?? Yeah, anyway…
Of course, one of the biggest highlights was visiting my brother and his two daughters!! We had “biscuits” (not cookies), chips (not fries), and I borrowed a “cardigan” from Richard on a cold day! (All these years living the high life in the city has made him a regular bobby dazzler as they say!) After all these years though, my brother is finally had his fill of Yorkshire and Pemberly and is ready to fully embrace his American roots once again!
*Can you believe it…I couldn’t get Grace or Mom to sign up to go see Pemberly while we were there??!! Are the shades to be thus polluted??*

Grace
I have been to England three times now, the first time was for my brother’s wedding and the next two to see him and his girls! If you ever go, you’ve got to go to the Lake Country and visit Beatrix Potter’s farm, Hilltop. Oh, and go to Warwick Castle in Warwickshire, they have a live jousting show that tells the history of the castle and it’s FANTASTIC!!!!

What’s your least favorite book?

Katherine
She Walks In Beauty by Siri Mitchell. We listened to it via audiobook and I must say it has forever been a distasteful one on my list simply for the sake of how horrible the story treated the heroine. (I think that the authoress was probably making a point though so I have to say from that standpoint she wrote the book well.)
So the story is about this girl in the Victorian era who is being raised by her aunt and father (the mother having died earlier). This girl has an encouraging governess that is helping her pursue college, but once the aunt hears that two eligible bachelors are coming into the area she decides to bring the girl out into society early to try to make a match. The governess is let go and rigorous training ensues from table manners, to conversational abilities, to the art of the fan. The most frustrating and terrible thing about this, is that the Aunt is just pushing and molding this poor girl to make this match without any true regard for her. The Aunt makes her wear a corset 24/7 so she will get used to it quicker – everything revolves around making this girl look and act perfectly so she will get noticed. The Aunt makes her mouth certain words before entering a room so that her lips will appear smaller – do you see what I mean?? It was a very unpleasant story!

Grace:
A Gown of Spanish Lace by Janette Oke. I CANNOT and WILL NOT get past the fact that she made them fall in love, then think they were brother and sister and then oh no, your not, you can get together now.

*flails dramatically and helplessly* YOU CAN”T DO THAT!!!!!!!!!

What’s your favorite cuisine?

Katherine
Italian!

(Grace makes these delicious garlic knots that are to die for!!)

Grace:
Italian!

Give me that Pasta and Pizza and Garlic and Basil YUM!

Favorite miniseries?

Katherine:
I’ll say the 2009 Emma! (The one with Johnny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley)

Grace:
The first one that comes to mind is Dr. Thorne, which is absolutely fantastic!

Would you rather try to wrestle a bone away from a dog, or a chicken wing away from a cat?

Katherine
Chicken wing from a cat! Much better odds! 🙂

Grace:
A chicken wing from a cat! I’m envisioning the scene from That Darn Cat with DC, Patricia and the duck!!!!

Have you ever had surgery?

Katherine:
No! 🙂

Grace:
Nope and I hope I never have to!

What’s your favorite kind of day? (you can answer this however you want, whether it be in weather, activities, books read, &c)

Katherine:
I love dark, rainy, misty, typical London weather days (think Marianne Dashwood)! So rich and romantic…hmm, perhaps I shall go for a walk….

Grace:
My favorite kind of day walks the balance of being productive and relaxing at the same time. I’ll get work, cooking, reading and writing done; have time to laugh with my Mom and sister; watch a good movie and learn something that will make me think! And even though that sounds like too much to squeeze into one day, it has happened before 😉

Do you have a favorite board game, and if so, what is it?

Katherine:
Hmm, we don’t play games very much, so I feel like I don’t have a good repertoire to draw from….I like Monopoly, Life, Clue, Codenames…..
Any good suggestions? Grace and I would love to play more games!

Grace:
I’m a fan of Monopoly and Life especially if you play with people who are really interested in playing the game and not just letting you do all the work aka my nephews! Checkers is an old classic! I really need to get more games period….ya’ll have any recommendations?

We have the honor to tag…

(As promised) Lizzie Hexham @ Starlight and Saucepans

Saraina @ Saraina Whitney

Kristy @ Books, Snowflakes, and Fairytales

Samantha @ Bookshire

Ivy Miranda @ Revealed In Time

Hamlette @ Hamlette’s Soliloquy

Sara Seele @ Sixty-Something Trees

Chloe @ Movies Meet Their Match

And your questions are…

#1 What’s something you’ve done recently that you were nervous/scared about, but has ended up being a really good thing/experience?

#2 If you were to open a shop, what kind of shop would it be?

#3 What’s the last book you read that you thought was the cats meow?

#4 You’ve gotten a callback from each of the following plays, which role will you take: Meg in Little Women, Winnie Foster in Tuck Everlasting or Sally in Your a Good Man Charlie Brown?

#5 Share 3 items on your wish list!

#6 What is something you’ve recently learned that blew your mind?

#7 What’s a movie or tv show or book series or fandom you’ve gotten into recently?

#8 Your current favorite song?

#9 Describe your perfect day including food!

#10 What is your favorite movie that’s set in another country?

#11 You have to research one of the following historical events: The Chicago World Fair of 1893, the Lake Peigneur Disaster of 1980 or Operation Mincemeat?

Till next time,

Katherine and Grace