A Liebster Award.. you are all so kind!

What a pleasant way to wake up after Thanksgiving to find my inbox full of not one... not two... but THREE emails from lovely ladies who nominated me for a Liebster Award... you guys you are so kind and thoughtful!
Thank you to:  Niki at Mrs. Thigpen's Kindergarten,  Gina at Beach sand and Lesson Plans, and Heather at The Wild Rumpus for thinking of me.  These ladies have awesome blogs.. and even though I am currently teaching Sixth Grade Smarties, I am often checking out what else is going on in the EDU-Blog-World... it helps me learn what knowledge my smarties should come to me with.

The Liebster Award Rules:
1) You must post 11 random things about yourself
2) Answer the questions that the nominator created for you
3) Create 11 questions for the people you nominate
4) Choose 11 blogs you love that have less than 200 followers and link them to your post
5) No tag back.. but please leave a comment on THIS post with the URL of the Liebster so I can  learn more about you!

I sorta..kinda.. combined the questions from these lovely ladies:
So here goes:

11 random things about me:

*  I love Coffee... I bet you would have never figured that one out.. <hee hee> but seriously, I run on Dunkin  I should start a coffee club at school like my new friend Gina at Beach sand.. that's a great idea!
*  I own 4 pairs of Converse Chucks sneakers.. and I am hoping to grab another pair by Christmas.  I love to wear them on Friday's to school.  My smarties think I'm so silly..
* My favorite color is ORANGE.. it always has been.. so of course the NCAA teams that I <puffy heart> LOVE are the Syracuse Orange and the Florida Gators.
* I love to read.. all kinds of books.  There is a huge stack by my bed... I'm currently reading The Necromancer 
* I'm sort of umm... obsessed with Lego minifigures.  I love to play legos with my son and I love when you can buy the mystery packages to see what you can get.
*  My favorite candy bar is Milky Way
* I like watching Grey's Anatomy and Hart of Dixie.  When I can, I sneak in a little Vampire Diaries like Niki does. 
*  I have an 85lb Bernese Mountain dog that thinks he is a lap dog.
* Daffodils and tulips are my favorite flowers
* I can grow all kinds of things in my garden, but kill all my houseplants
* I'm a HUGE fan of Dave Matthews

11 Questions asked of me by Mrs. Thigpen, Beach Sands and Lesson Plans, and The Wild Rumpus 
1) How long have you been teaching?  This is my 19th year of teaching
2) What made you start writing a blog?  I was looking to connect with teachers across the country to learn new ideas and share my experiences.
3) What is your favorite subject to teach?  This varies between ELA and Math.. this is exactly what I'm doing right now.. which I am LOVING
4) Do you have a favorite sport to watch or play?  I love watching College Basketball and Softball
5)  Dessert?  Pi.. I mean Pie all the way
6) How did you pick your blog name?  I love Coffee.. and teaching
7) What is the farthest place you have traveled?  I spent two weeks in Europe and went to London, Paris, Germany and Holland
8) Coffee or Tea?  Why COFFEE.. of course.. but I'm sometimes drink tea when my voice is hoarse
9) Would you rather live in a warm or cold climate?  I would rather live in a warm climate, although I like watching the seasons change
10)  What is your favorite holiday?   My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I love being with my family without the pressure of wondering if I chose the right gifts for everyone.
11) If you hadn't become a teacher what might you have been?   I may have become an architect or a journalist

Now.. 11 Questions for my nominees:

1)  How did you pick your blog name?
2) What made you start writing a blog?
3) What is your favorite thing to do with your family?
4) Coke or Pepsi?
5) Who is your favorite music group?
6) What would you purchase if you had an unlimited budget?
7) What is your favorite book to share with your students?
8) What household chore do you like the least?
9) What professional book or conference changed something about how you teach?
10) What is your favorite color?
11) If you could eat lunch with a famous person, who would it be?

Here are the 11 blogs I nominated:
1) Literacy Sundae 
2) Fourth Grade Studio
3) Don't Let the Teacher Stay Up Late
4) Active Readers and Writers
5) Mrs. D's Firsties
6) An Apple A day in First Grade
7) Little Miss Primary
8) The Second Grade Surprise
9) The Classy Teacher
10) The Happy Teacher
11)  First Grade Crusade

Don't forget to leave me a link to your blog so I can learn more about you!