Passing on the Blog Love

The lovely and super-mama-writer-teacher Kate Hopper (of Motherhood & Words, if you have not taken one of Kate's classes yet, sign up now!) honored me with a Liebster Blog Award, which is, as far as I can tell, a pat on the back from one blogger to another. Thanks, Kate!

This icicle has nothing to do with this blog post, but I liked the way it looked against the blue sky.

As part of her award-passing duties, she provided five questions for me to answer. I've been putting it off for a couple of weeks because I'm no good at answering these sorts of questions, but here goes:

1)    What is one thing you’d like to accomplish (professionally or personally) in the next year?

One year from now, I will have finished my MFA degree in creative writing, just shy of nineteen years after finishing my bachelor's degree. Between now and then, I'll be getting a lot of researching, writing and revising done, that will hopefully result in publication(s).

2)    Who is the one person who has had an important influence on you? Describe.

My husband, C, who is always so calm and easygoing. He has figured out what he wants to be when he grows up and is doing it––he runs his own business and is a leading voice in residential energy efficiency in Maine. He is also so supportive of my own dreams, watching the kids two nights a week when I go to the library, and twice a year when I go to residency for ten days.

3)    What essay or poem or short story do you return to again and again? Why?

I can't choose just one, so I'm going with the American Library Edition of Shirley Jackson's short stories and novels. I love the size and heft of this book (narrower than your typical hardcover), the thin, onion-skin like paper, and the green satin ribbon bookmark. Then of course, Jackson's stories inside: her humor, her dark themes, her witchy tendencies, her surprise endings that make you rethink everything you thought before, her characterization of small-minded small towns, the characters' sense of alienation, the suffocation of domesticity. If you've only ever read "The Lottery," get thee quickly to the library and check out this book. I can't choose just one, but "Louisa Please Come Home," "The Flower Garden," and "Behold the Child Among his Newborn Blisses"are among my favorites.

4)    In what ways has parenthood shifted your perspective on some aspect (you chose) of your life?

I think the biggest perspective shift has been with regard to time. It's the least original thing I could possibly say, but time moves SO fast when you have kids (except when it doesn't, and then it moves so slowly it doesn't feel like it's moving at all, like when you're playing Star Wars guys with your four-year-old). I feel much more aware of using my time wisely, accomplishing things I want to accomplish, and not wasting it doing whatever I used to do to waste time when I was young and child-free.

5)    Describe your ideal day.

My ideal day would involve: sleeping late, reading a good book in the bathtub with a cup of tea, hiking out in the woods (my ideal day being sunny, of course), taking pictures, drawing and writing in my nature journal, eating a really good lunch (which someone else prepared and will clean up), writing, some more reading, eating a good dinner (ditto prep and cleanup), watching a good movie with a bit of knitting, going to bed in freshly-washed and off-the-line sheets. Lots and lots of peace and quiet so that my brain can do whatever it needs/wants to do. Also, it would need to take place in a really clean and organized house so I don't get tempted to dust or clean sinks. And yes, I do love my husband and children, but they get to be a part of every single one of my ordinary days, so I think it's only fair that I get to be alone on my perfect day.

Now I get to pass the pat-on-the-back to five more blogs of my choosing. The blogs I choose are:

Meryl at My Bit of Earth, who writes about motherhood, chickens, toddlers, gardens, knitting, cooking, photography––all the good things in life.

Kendra at By Hand at Home, project-making, green-living mama extraordinaire. 

Liz at Motherlogue, who writes about writing and mothering and led a kids' NaNoWriMo project.

Katherine at KatherineJBarrett, Literary Mama editor, mama of three boys (including twins), and food columnist.

Raina at Mamacita Spins the Globe, because I want to see her back in bloggiland soon!

I could give new questions to you all, but I think Kate's are so good and thought-provoking, I'm going to pass those on as well. Check out these lovely ladies' blogs.