The Liebster Award Tag

It has been ages since I was tagged in a, well, a tag.  I love them as they’re usually pretty straightforward to write and they are a great way of getting to know other bloggers.  I was tagged in the Liebster Award tag by Jenn from And The Beat Goes 

So, how does the Liebster Award tag work?  Well, here are the rules:

Post 11 facts about yourself
Answer the 11 questions the nominator has asked you
Nominate 11 other bloggers
Ask them 11 questions
Let them know you have nominated them

Let’s start with 11 facts you may not already know about me:

1. I have always wanted to change my name to Anastacia.  It’s been a long standing joke between me and my husband.  I’ve used Anastacia as a nickname/screen name for years and I’ve promised myself that one day I’ll make it official.  I just might not have to tell my Mum and Dad!
2. I currently share my house with one husband, two children and four cats – Mew,  Rudy, Spider and Mini.  We used to have five cats, but sadly Little Red died a few years ago.  They can be quite a handful!
3. I studied Spanish and Italian for 18 months at university before giving it up as a bad job.  You can actually read a post all about my uni experience here!  I can hardly remember either language but I have just downloaded the Duolingo app to help refresh my memory.
4. I may currently be involved in Musical Theatre, but I have dabbled in many forms of performing over the years including line-dancing, Latin dancing, adult tap, Barbershop singing and Burlesque.
   
5. I’m training to run a half-marathon in September and have just managed to break the 10 mile mark.  Three miles to go!!
6. My nickname at home is Bunny, so the house is full of bunny-themed ornaments, trinkets and pictures.
7. I love to read but my absolute favourite kind of books are cheesy historical/fantasy romance.  I’m a big ole’ softy at heart.
8. In our household, I am the main breadwinner and my husband is a stay-at-home dad.  Well, we like to be different.
9. I would much rather be over-dressed than under-dressed, which has made for some interesting fashion choices over the years.
10. I may be a fiery redhead now, but for the first 23 years I was a natural blonde before realising it really didn’t suit me!
11. I adore playing computer games and can often whittle away the hours playing The Sims, Dragon Age, Tomb Raider and many more…

So that’s the 11 facts about me, now to answer Jen’s questions:

If you could do anything you wanted right now what would it be?

Sleep.  Or play computer games.  I’m always feeling like there aren’t enough hours in the day at the moment so if I could just press pause on the world and have some time to veg out, that would be marvellous.

How would your friends describe you?

A total bitch! Ha!  Possibly.  They’d probably say I am sarcastic and bitchy but (hopefully) would say I’m lovely deep down.  Shows what they know…  They’d probably also say I’m very talkative and outgoing – don’t know where they get that idea from.

What is your favourite accessory?

I love my jewellery and have so many lovely pieces that it would be hard to pick my favourite.  I think I’d have to choose my Bunny necklace, which was the first piece of jewellery my husband bought for me after our separation.  It’s particularly special and it’s probably my most-worn necklace.

If you could get away with a crime, what would it be?

I really want to say murder, but I’m worried that might scare people, or that I might be put on a watch list.  (Seriously though, who doesn’t have at least one person they think the world would be better off without?) A slightly less sinister answer would be bank robbery – a little injection of extra cash with no consequences would be perfect about now.

If you could only take 3 items with you to a desert island what would they be and why?

I’m never sure how to answer this question.  How long am I going to be on this island?  Forever?  Do I need essential living items?  If it was just for a short stay, I’d say a good book, a beach umbrella and the biggest bar of chocolate I could find!

What was your dream job growing up?

After watching Legally Blonde I had high hopes of going to law school (yeah right!), then my main goal was to be a performer (again – yeah right!)  I still feel like I haven’t figured out what I want to be when I grow up, but I think my dream job would probably be a wedding/party planner.  I want a clipboard and one of those headset thingys!

What would be your perfect day?

This is such a difficult question to answer.  There are so many variations, depending on what mood I’m in and if I include the kids or not.  If we’re going for a day of dreams I’d love to wake up to discover I’ve been transported to Disneyland with my family, we’re the only ones in the park and everything is free.  It’d be hard to top that!

What is your favourite meal?

I can’t resist a good afternoon tea.  There’s something so dainty and sophisticated about them – I always feel like I’ve fallen into a Jane Austen novel.  I’ve sampled many from local tea shops to Fortnum and Mason but my favourite so far has been the Flying Childers at Chatsworth.

What is your favourite comedy film?

Absolutely, hands down it is The Decoy Bride, a quirky romantic comedy starring Kelly McDonald and David Tennant (swoon).  I can’t remember how I first found out about this film but it quickly became an absolute favourite of mine.  It’s funny, it’s romantic, it’s a bit odd – I can watch it over and over.

What are you 3 favourite songs and why?

I hate questions like these – I love music SO much, how can I possibly choose just three songs?  Still, I decided to go with the first three that popped into my head.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas – bit of a weird one to start with, but I really do like this song in almost every version I’ve heard.  It can be melancholy or hopeful depending on the singer’s interpretation.  My favourite ever version is by Ella Fitzgerald and was the first dance at my (Christmas-themed) wedding.

I’ll Stand By You – Mr Mess and I always say this is our song and possibly would have been our first dance, apart from the fact that it makes Mr Mess cry whenever he hears it.  He’s a soppy git sometimes.

For Good (from Wicked) – Basically I love any song from any musical as I am such a huge musical fan.  Still, For Good is probably one of my favourite songs.  It’s so beautiful and such a wonderful song about friendship and how we are shaped by the people we know.

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Married Mr Mess. Stayed married to Mr Mess.

It’s so hard to find people who haven’t already been nominated for this tag, or who actually want to do it, so I’ve just picked names at random.  Please feel free to ignore this if you want. No obligation! For this Liebster Award, I’d like to nominate:

@BookaholicBabe

@RoseBeautyFiles

@SherryScribbles

@helplessdrying

@sophwonderlandx

@EntirelySarah

@spread_sparkle

@lorahullx

@Jayleeallsopp

@sophiesnotebook

@Bunnymoonstone

Here are my 11 questions to all nominees (plus anybody else who wants to join in!)

1. How would you describe yourself in three words?
2. Why did you start blogging?
3. Where in the world would you most like to travel and why?
4. If you could be any fictional character, who would it be?
5. What was your most embarrassing moment?
6. What is one object you cannot live without?
7. What movie do you endlessly rewatch and why?
8. Would you rather travel into space or deep under the sea?
9. Interview style – what is your greatest strength and you greatest weakness
10. If you could only eat one kind of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
11. And finally, ending with some positivity – what is one thing you love about yourself?

Have fun everybody!  Please let me know if you take part so I can read your responses!