The Sunshine Blogger Award

I have been meaning to do a post like this for a while, I have been nominated on a couple of occasions but have been so busy with my daily life that I failed to do my own post. Thanks to all those who nominated before now, I can’t recall the posts (Twitter notifications go back way too far and I cant track previous nominations) but I am always honoured that fellow Bloggers (Some of whom are amazing) think of me when they create these posts.

Today, I opened up my Twitter account for the one hundredth time (I try not to be obsessed by notifications, but I simply cant help myself) and saw that the lovely Ashley Girres (@GGraphicsinc) had nominated me. Ashley is a freelance graphic designer who has a fantastic range of products that she creates, you can find some of her work here:- https://www.etsy.com/shop/garrettgraphics

Ashley also writes a lifestyle blog and regularly updates with her own personal thoughts. She has a wonderful way with words and really draws the reader in. There is a beautifully touching section where she writes letters to her young daughter. The blog link is here: http://afiercemind.com/

Thankyou so much for the nomination, Ashley. 🙂

So, here we go.
The Sunshine Blogger Award has rules:-

Thank the Blogger who Nominated you
Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you
Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write 11 new questions for them
List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your post/blog

The 11 Questions that Ashley (@GGraphicsinc) asked me.

What is your greatest inspiration in life?
As cheesy as this sounds, the greatest ambition in my life are my children. I have two beautiful boys, both different in personality but they have wonderful characters. Ethan, 6 (almost 7, it is his Birthday in 2 days) is laid back, cheeky, intelligent, book-loving and a total nutjob. Oliver, 3 is a kid on a mission. He doesn’t walk, he runs. He doesn’t stand still, he jumps. I love them both equally and they help fill my days with happiness and love.
What prompted you to begin blogging?
I have always wanted to start blogging, ever since I saw a Hillary Duff film in which she blogged regularly. I think it was called, The Perfect Man. Since then I have always put off trying and I couldn’t ever really think of what I wanted to write about. But then in November, I lost my baby at 5 months pregnant and I wanted a medium that I could use to vent how I was feeling. At first my blogging was personal feelings but then I re-found my love for writing stories and that is what I now produce.

I am also a big lover of books. Fiction is my favourite and I love writing reviews, so I figured I would use my blog for reviewing what I read.
Have you ever considered transforming your blog into a book?
Not really, but I do hope that someday my short stories and poems are noticed and that I have the opportunity to publish some of my work some day.
Do you do anything else for a living outside of blogging?
I work for the local authority as a Caseworker. I also run my own small photography business where I provide services for weddings, events, etc.
Who is your favourite blogger?
OH my days! There are so so many! One of my favourite things to do is go through my following lists on social media and check out other peoples blogs. I love them all, whether they be Mommy Blogs, Beauty Blogs or Book Blogs. There is not one blog that I have come across that I don’t like yet. But if I was to one who I like to read more than others then it would be Rachel McRad and her ThingsGrowBlog. The style she uses in her posts from the writing flow to the photography make her blog very appealing to the eye. Rachel has also become a good friend and is so very supportive. A supportive blogging friend is a treasured thing in this community. 🙂 You can find her blog here at https://whenthewildthingsgrow.blogspot.co.uk
What do you enjoy doing most when you’re not writing?
Me and my husband love watching tv boxsets. We love most things and whilst I write, we sit together and watch one of our many favourite shows, like Inside Number 9, The Flash, Walking Dead or The Gifted. If we aren’t watching TV, then I will put my headphones on and listen to albums on Spotify.
What do you feel has been the most pivotal moment in your life?
In July 2016 my husband and partner of 19 years was pinned against the wall by a car following a collision. I should have lost him, he spent 5 months in hospital and had to learn to do everything again as he suffered a stroke following blood loss. It was at this moment that I looked at my life differently and made a promise to myself that I would never take life for granted again….and that includes my husband.
What is your writing routine?
I wait until after the boys are in bed, because I know that they will be all over the laptop as soon as I get it out. Then I have to wait until Harry Pugger (Pug) is settled next to me; he loves walking all over the keyboard trying to get my attention. He is very happily snoring next to me as I write this. 🙂 All my writing is done of an evening as I work in the day.
What has been your greatest life accomplishment?
When I was at college (when i was 17) I always said I would have my own photography business one day. It took several years before I fulfilled that promise, but I can now say that I enjoyed 10 years photographing weddings and providing baby shoots. I was my own boss and dealt with my taxes.
What encourages you when you’re feeling discouraged about your progress?
I have wanted to write a book for so long, I have several ideas in my old noggin and I tell myself that I no longer want to wait. This time next year I want to have a book finished which I can start sending out to agents. So when I feel discouraged, I tell myself that I could be sitting here always ‘wishing’ that I had done it. There might be nothing that comes from my writing, but it would be much better if I could at least say I tried.
Which blog entry thus far would you say is your greatest pride?
Please take a look at my blog post further down, titled Tainted Love. It is a short story which I started writing when I was in college. So far I have had some positive feedback from it.

And in tradition of all sunshine blogger awards posts, it is now my turn to nominate 11 other bloggers for the award:-

Rachel McRad @ThingsGrowBlog
https://whenthewildthingsgrow.blogspot.co.uk

Amelia Hope @AmeliaHopeBlog
https://ameliahopeweb.wordpress.com/

Elle Louise @elleloutravels
http://ellelouise.co.uk/

Sharna @sharnaloub
https://lxpidolite.wordpress.com/

Angela @@WickedPleasant
http://wickedlypleasant.com/

Debbie @writersdream
evie-bookish.blogspot.co.uk

Cat @its_misscat
http://itsmisscat.co.uk/

osinachi okoye @jw_osi
http://awkwardfordays.com/

Cally @LoveCallyBlog
https://lovecally.com/

Kerry @stepintimex
https://stepintimex.wordpress.com/

Kellys Little Corner Blog @kellyslilcorner
http://www.kellyslittlecorner.uk/

And to you guys honoured and nominated by me, here are the 11 questions for you.

What is your blog about?
What country do you blog from?
What do you want to get out of your blog?
What makes you tick?
Who is your favourite person?
What was your first pet called?
If you had just 1 wish that could come true, what would you wish for?
What are your top 3 favourite books off all time?
If you could have a dinner date with any 5 celebrities, dead or alive, who would you choose?
Tell us one thing about yourself that you have never blogged about.
Complete this sentence.
I have a secret love for…

And that’s it folks, here are the questions. Hope you all enjoy reading and taking part 🙂 – Take a look at the other bloggers nominated, there are some great posts/blogs out there.

Thanks All

S x