Coffee and a Book Chick

Well, it is a beautiful day out when one blogger gives another an award -- and you want to know something else?  I got the Life Is Good award from TWO of my favorite bloggers, so I feel pretty smug and good about myself.  Okay, I know, I shouldn't use the word "smug" when accepting an award...!  :)

If it wasn't for that lil thing called "work," I would have posted this last week to thank them both.  I just got back from a business trip to Minneapolis, and it is with delicious, guilty pleasure that I get to chat about these two bloggers, and then talk about the award, and, of course, moi!  Oh, and then on to the next six cool bloggers it goes!

You all MUST stop by, get to know, and follow their sites - CMash Loves to Read has a beautiful site full of fantastic insights and *awesome* giveaways and Estella's Revenge is witty and battles through with cool reflections on all things books and ramblings.  THANK YOU to both amazing bloggers -- I love your sites!!

In order to accept the award, I must link back to thank the one who issued it, answer 10 questions, and then pass it on to 6 bloggers.  So here goes!!  (Answers are in bold, and the six bloggers I'm passing the award onto are below!)

1. If you blog anonymously are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?  I am somewhat anonymous -- I usually go by just Coffee and a Book Chick, but for those who don't know…ta da!!  My name is Natalie!  :)

2.Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side.  At the risk of making my husband cheer in delight, although I'm pretty good about acknowledging defeat, I'm pretty sure I'm usually right about stuff.  Okay, maybe not all the time.  Well, sure, maybe most of the time.  I don't know.

3.What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror? I see a young (ish) woman who married an amazing man, has an incredible family (in-laws included!!), and two kids (okay, one dog and one cat!).  I'm someone who doesn't like to take advantage of other people, and I try to be honest in absolutely everything that I do.

4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?  Freshly made mojito (not the mix kind -- blah, only the freshly crushed mint).  And coffee, no matter what season!

5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do? Well, I usually annoy everyone around me by reading excessively.  Or, we take the cool Roma the Dog to the beach so she can frolic through the North Florida waves.

6.Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?  Absolutely, running my own business and having children.

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever , the shy person, or always ditching?  Hmm.  It's tough to look at yourself twenty years ago and separate what you think you were to what everyone thought you were -- I know that I got along with everyone, but it's not like I got invited to all the coolest parties or anything…their loss, right?  :)

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment of your life what would you see? Not to get all down and all, but probably the most poignant moment in my life was when my mother passed away.  My father, sister and I were at her bedside and it was absolutely crushing.  She passed on Mother's Day 6 years ago, and I can still feel that moment.

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?   It's pretty easy to share my true self, cloaked in my pseudo-veil of anonymity!

10. If you had the choice to sit down and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?   Good gracious, READ!  I talk on the phone all day long with work, so sometimes I just come home and keep my mouth shut and don't say a word to anyone.  Even when my husband asks me a question, I just nod an answer back -- which actually works out well for him!  No nagging, right!!

Now passing it on to six FANTABULOUS bloggers!  I wanted to introduce you to two non-book bloggers as well, since I know we all have other hobbies, right?!  :) 

• Grace Protzman Photography -- I mean, seriously.  Just GORGEOUS pictures -- and where I sometimes get the images on my blog.  She'll be getting her images set up on iStockPhoto.com as well.  You can also check her out at Digital Graces!
• Weekly Bite -- Some of you may remember that I'm a vegan/vegetarian, and Weekly Bite is written by a Registered Dietitian.  This is the blog I like to go to for her recipes.  She posts all types of recipes (not just vegan/vegetarian) along with musings on life as well, so check it out!
• Tedious & Brief -- A new-to-me blogger on books and film, check him out!  We're also co-hosting the readalong for The Historian as well!
• Silver's Reviews -- Elizabeth is a new-to-me blogger, and I absolutely love her enthusiasm!  Welcome this new blogger to your Dashboard!
• The Crowded Leaf -- I'm so excited about presenting this award to The Crowded Leaf and you also MUST jump onto Rozlyn Press, which is the brainchild of The Crowded Leaf.  It's a small press founded this year for female fiction novelists, and they also provide freelance editing advice for your work.  I know some of us bloggers are also writing our stories out there, so jump onto both The Crowded Leaf and Rozlyn Press.
• Picky Girl -- Picky Girl was my inspiration to get started in the book blogging world.  This is how I came across her blog -- I had just finished Elizabeth Kostova's The Swan Thieves and I was trying to find specific information on a painting that was discussed during the story.  Somehow I came across Picky Girl's site and I was so excited when I commented on her blog and she responded!  When I started looking around on her blog, I saw an entire community of people that had the same love that I had -- reading!!  Picky Girl's reviews are so incredibly thoughtful (click to read one of my FAVORITE posts), and I want to personally thank her for her encouragement to start blogging!

So let's CELEBRATE these bloggers and pass on the award!!  WOOHOO!!

Happy Reading!
Coffee and a Book Chick