Tag of DOOOOMM!!!!!!

Okay, maybe not - but Tag of DOOOOMM!!!!!! is more exciting that just plain old "tag" as a title.

The fabulous sisters who blog at Clever Bunnies have tagged me! Go check out their blog. It's full of music and cooking and furniture and bunnies! Real live ones.

Here are the rules to the Liebser Award tag (aka the ole' eleven questions tag. Thank you to whoever got rid of the "11 random questions about yourself" part!)

Liebster Award Rules:

Acknowledge the blog that nominated you.

Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger created.

List 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers that deserve some recognition.

Write 11 questions for them to answer.

Notify them they've been nominated.

Thank you Bethany and Becca!

Here are the 11 questions that they have asked:

1) Do you prefer coffee, or tea?

Coffee and tea and the jivin' in me... a cup a cup a cup... yeah... *jazz hands*

Tea. I don't like coffee.

2) What was your first pet?

My absolute first pet was probably a gold fish. The first "real" pet that I can remember was a Betta Fish, who lived quite a long time, surprisingly! (Exciting after all the gold fish deaths.)

3) If you could go back in time, what century would you most like to visit?

The early 1900's. Just plop be down right at the turn of the century and I'd be happy to live my life out from there. =) The 1900's-1940's are my favorite time periods. So much happened! The Industrial Revolution, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII. Plus, lots of wonderful people lived in that time period. George M. Cohan, George Gershwin (!!!), F. Scott Fiztgerald... plus Tchaikovsky and Debussy were still alive at that time! And Sherlock Holmes stories were still being published. And there were silent films. And George Gershwin. Did I mention George Gershwin?

...and the rest of the 1900's was pretty cool too! In the '50's you had Andy Griffith and Beaver Cleaver! In the '60's you had the Beatles and Paul McCartney! In the '70's you still had Paul McCartney! In the '80's you had Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Cosby Show!

Plus, you had J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and Agatha Christie and P.G. Wodehouse!

And of course there was Star Wars and George Lucas... and the start of American Girl.

4) What is your favorite hymn?

A Mighty Fortress is Our God (a bulwark never fai-ai-ai-ling).

5) Who is your favorite Christian hero, and why? (e.g. Missionary, Bible character, etc.)

Paul from the Bible takes the first slot. I think he was an incredible man and his story shows that everyone can accept God's grace, change their lifestyle, and do incredible things for God! I really, really admire Paul. He was beaten up and thrown in jail, and he still boldly proclaimed the message of God's salvation. He didn't let anything stop him from telling the world about Jesus. That's amazing. He had amazing faith and drive. I wish I could be as bold in my faith as he was in his.

Second is Saint Augustine of Hippo. He lived in the 4th and 5th centuries. What I really love about him is that with the help of God, he overcame the sin and temptation in his life. Suddenly he had a purpose, and it was relieving not to be ensnared to his previous lifestyle.

6) Would you rather live in a Victorian mansion, or a log cabin?

Is this question inspired by the Game of Life? :P A Victorian mansion. A lot more difficult to clean, maybe, but so beautiful! Especially with extensive grounds and a lake to go boating on. 

7) How did you decide that you wanted to start a blog?

At the time, I was really into watching videos about American Girl Dolls on youtube. Along with this, I also read blogs dedicated to American Girl Dolls. I really wanted to start a blog focusing on American Girls too, and that's where Dolls, Books, and Things That Matter came from!

9) What mode of transportation do you prefer: planes, trains, or automobiles?

Trains 100%. Sometime when I was three, my parents introduced me to Thomas the Tank Engine and since then, I've been enamored with trains. 

10) Do you think bow ties are cool?

Of course!

11) What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?

Oh my... that's a hard question. I don't know. I don't eat strange things. Normally I stick with things I know I'll like (so it won't surprise anyone that I've never once tried any other flavor than "strawberry" at the dentist). Although in Holland I had something strange in the way that normally that particular food wouldn't be served that way. The Dutch have an AMAZING food called "krokets" which is meat and gravy in a breaded shell. Normally you just eat it plain, or with mayonnaise. But at this one shop they had a "kroket broodje" (kroket sandwich) so I ordered that. Low and behold, it was just a kroket in a bun. Strange!

I guess some other odd foods I've eaten were foods served in my WWII class a few years ago... Like goober peas! Aka, boiled peanuts. Easy to store and carry, wouldn't spoil, and lovely to sing about!

Here are my 11 questions:

1. Have you ever sung about goober peas before?

2. Out of all the wars America has been involved in, which is your favorite to study about?

3. Do you prefer series' or standalones when it comes to books?

4. Do you prefer YA (young adult... aka modern teen fiction) books, classics, obscure books no one has ever heard about before, Christian fiction, or children's books the best? (Children's meaning anything from picture books to books aimed at the 10-14 range). Why?

5. Do you own any American Girl Dolls? Which one(s)?

6. Have you read any Jane Austen, or seen any movies/mini-series based on her books? Which of Jane Austen's stories is your favorite?

7. What about Robert Louis Stevenson? (Personally, I'm a bit biased towards Muppet Treasure Island.)

8. Which time period for fashion is your favorite? (Do you prefer the bum-rolls of Shakespeare's time? Hoop skirts from the 1860's? The shimmery, straight dresses of the 1920's? Or are you more of a flower-power child, complete with the weird forehead band-thing?) Why? (A good reference for changing fashions is the scene in the Time Machine [by H.G. Wells) movie where the main character is going forward in time, and he's facing a store window, where the mannequin is continually getting new clothing, due to the time lapse.)

9. Do you like the name George?

10. Have you ever read anything by Charles Dickens? What was it? Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? (Okay, that's kind of four questions... but they go together!)

11. Would you like to makeup your own question and answer it, instead of me coming up with another one?

I'm not going to tag anyone. If you would like to answer my questions, do so! You don't even have to make a blog post about it. Just answer in the comments! You don't even have to answer them on. Pick one and expound on it.

Live long and prosper!

P.S. Tomorrow or the next day I'll do the first post of our London/Holland trip.

"I AM NOT MAD!!!" (In the Sherlock Holmes museum)