The Liebster Award 2017

After only a few short weeks of blogging, Simple. Honest. Essential. has the honor of being nominated for the Liebster Award 2017.  We are thrilled to accept this nomination and even more excited to have the opportunity to pass the honor to five other new bloggers. 

Thank you to The Global Aussie for running these awards. This award recognizes the hard work that goes into blogging and creates a global blogging community. 

Thank you to mummysaidso.wordpress.com for the nomination. For those who aren’t familiar with her blog, Sher blogs about life as a mother and a woman with depression. Her posts are heartfelt and BS free. Don’t miss her latest post “10 Things Not to Do When Your Baby Won’t Sleep.”

10 Interesting facts (from Rachel): 

1. I am terrified of fish, specifically dead fish. 
2. I have been a vegetarian since I was 10 years old. 
3. I would love to fully commit and become a vegan…if I could figure out how to give up ice cream. (Although I just tried the new Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy ice cream and it was a game changer.)
4. Pete and I share the same favorite ice cream flavor: chocolate peanut butter from Oberweis. 
5. I’m not a cat person. They’re cute, but I don’t trust anything that remains in a 90% liquid state. 
6. I have a Starbucks addiction. Vanilla sweet cream cold brew is God’s gift to early mornings. 
7. I studied abroad in Argentina during college. Over the course of two summers, I lived in Cordoba for a total of three months. 
8. I teach high school English and speech, but I also have a degree in Spanish and certification to teach K-12. 

8 Questions assigned from mummysaidsoblog.wordpress.com

1. Why do you blog? I started blogging to provide a resource. My passion is healthy and natural living with an emphasis on essential oils. There is so much information out there that it can be difficult to digest. I wanted to create a place where people could find all of the information that they needed and get started right away without any confusion. I wanted to take something that can seem overwhelming and make it easily digestible and user-friendly. My goal is to provide easy DIY projects, recipes, and to educate others about essential oils. 
2. Who is your role model? I’m lucky enough to be able to say that my role models are my parents. Both of my parents have worked incredibly hard to achieve their goals and have successful careers. My brother and I were raised in a wonderful family, one that I would not change in any way. I hope to one day raise my children the same way. 
3.  If you could choose to live anywhere in the world, where would you live? There’s a small part of me that has always thought that I would do well in the west. I don’t know if it’s Colorado or Oregon, but I have always felt a pull in that direction. That being said, home is where my family is….so home will always be the midwest. 
4. What would you say is the most important lesson to teach a child? You are powerful. It’s so easy to doubt yourself or assume that you don’t have the power, strength, skill, determination, etc. to achieve your goals or dreams. So many people quit before they ever get started. Be it walking away from a bad situation, learning to forgive, or moving in the direction of your dreams, the power must come from within. 
5. Love or money? Love. Always love. 
6. What is your biggest fear? As cheesy as it sounds, my goal in life has always been to make an impact. It’s why I became a teacher. It’s why I worked with my students and co-workers to create a life-changing program. My fear is that I won’t be able to do enough. There’s always more work to be done. 
7. What is your favorite book? Asking an English teacher to pick a favorite book is like asking a parent to pick a favorite child. I keep a rotating list of my top five favorite books. By the time I post this the list will have changed. In no particular order: 1984, The Things They Carried, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and No Exit. You’ll notice that I didn’t mention a fifth book (I just can’t commit). 
8. Why do you want to win this award? This award is such an honor. I read blogs as a silent reader for several years before starting my own. It took a great deal of courage to decide that it was time to put my voice and ideas out there among the bloggers I so admired. The Liebster Award is proof that I’m making my voice heard. 

The Liebster Award nominees are charged with paying it forward and nominating five up and coming bloggers. It is our honor to announce the next five nominees:

1. livingalovinglife.wordpress.com: It only took me one blog post to fall in love with Caroline and her blog. I quickly found myself reading more. Check out this lifestyle blog and you’ll find a little bit of everything. She recently posted about body positivity and her words will resonate with every woman. Scroll a little further and you’ll find a mouth-watering recipe for butternut squash soup. 
2. autumnsoulblog.co.uk: Abi’s blog focuses on fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. Her blog is unique thanks to its online stylist program. Fill out a quick form and an outfit will be created just for you! Check out her post on how to layer necklaces.
3. everydayamal.blogspot.co.uk: Amal is a young blogger who lives in London. She incorporates modern trends into modest fashion. She offers fabulous fashion tips that won’t break the bank. Check out her latest post: “10 Must Have Wardrobe Pieces.”
4. www.leadlife.blog: Sean's blog focuses on motivation and is on a mission to inspire others to make positive changes in their life through real life experiences. Check out his latest post "Visualizing the Fear."
5. sweetbasilthyme.com: Amanda shares her love for cooking by posting healthy(ish) and cheap(ish) recipes that any cook can create. If you are looking for a healthy afternoon snack, check out her recipe for matcha chia balls. 

8 Questions for the nominees:

1. Where do you find your inspiration?
2. Which blog post are you most proud of (link)? Why?
3. Why did you start this blog? 
4. If you could go back and give your younger self advice, what would you say?
5. If a movie were made about your life, would you want it to be fictional or biographical? Why?
6. Why are you excited to be nominated for this award?
7. If you could walk in someone else's shoes for a day, who would you choose? Why?
8. How would you like your blog to grow and change in the next year?

The Liebster Awards are designed to give credit to up and coming new bloggers. In order to be eligible for the award, the nominee must be an up and coming blogger with less than 200 followers. 

• Acknowledge the blog that nominated you.  
• Answer the 8 questions that the blogger gives you.
• Give 8-10 random facts about yourself and display the nomination.
• Nominate 5 blogs and notify them of the nomination. Give them 8 questions to answer. 

All of the above should be outlined in a blog dedicated to your nomination. The official rules and more information about the award can be found here.