1. Describe yourself in 10 words or less.
Mom, wife, sincere, honest, loyal, loving, funny,
smart, witty, & fun-loving
2. What made you get into blogging? And inspired your blog’s name?
I started my blog when my (new) husband was
deployed and we spent our first year of marriage apart. Originally my blog was
called “Surviving the Distance” because, well, that is what we were trying to
do at the time. When my husband came home on r&r he ended up getting
custody of his kids and overnight I became a geographically single mom of 4
kids (aka The Herd).
After we survived our first deployment and we were
getting ready to PCS (move) to North Carolina (my husband was in Kentucky and
the herd and I were in Minnesota at the time) to be together as a family, I
needed a new blog title. Since we are a
blended family, I came up with my current name “Step by Step”. Step by Step is to chronicle our life (the
good, the bad, the randomness) as a blended family.
3. What do you enjoy most about the blog world? Have you been a part of
it for long or just starting out?
My favorite part of the blog world is getting to meet
my fellow bloggers. I also love to learn new things, and I am constantly
inspired by the amazing blogs I have discovered. I could work on executing said inspiration a
bit more, but my follow through isn’t always there. I do have a herd, so I
believe that is a perfectly acceptable excuse!
I have been a part of bloggyland going on 2 years
this July. I am not a daily, shoot sometimes not even weekly, blogger. But I do
my best to make sure that I post once a month, at a minimum.
4. What do you find yourself blogging about most of the time?
Honestly, I have been in quite the rut lately. I
find myself doing link ups trying to get my creative juices flowing. I do love
linkup parties though. They’re so much fun and it’s a great way for me to find
new blogs.
When I’m not in a rut, I find myself blogging about
the herd, Mr. N., Family stuff
5. If you had an endless budget…what store would you spend hours
shopping in?
Target…hands down! It is rare that I can go into
that store and spend under $100. They have the cutest clothes for the herd,
houseware, electronics, make up (Hello Essie!), and even food! Everything this
mom of 4 could possibly need!
6. How do you spend a typical Sunday?
Typically on Sundays everyone is [usually] up by
9:00 a.m. We feed the herd breakfast, Mr. N. hibernates in his Man Cave while
his coffee brews, while I boot up my computer to see what new secrets have been
posted on PostSecrets.com. The herd will either go upstairs and play, or watch
tv for about an hour and then its time to clean! Yay! Sunday is cleaning day at
our house and everyone contributes, but not always happily lol After the
cleaning portion of the day is done, the herd reads for 20 minutes and they can
go outside and play, or play video games (we tend to save this activity for rainy
days, no need to waste sunshine!) Most Sundays are pretty relaxed, we tend to
hang around the house and spend time together as a family.
7. What song would be the theme song to your life, right now?
“God Gave me You” by Blake Shelton. Absolutely love
this song. (Youtube link for his
official video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCf2PoTuh4Q&ob=av2n
)
8. Tell us about your absolute must-have item in your closet.
My absolute must have in my closet, is my nail
polish collection! Nail polish is the perfect accessory! My collection is
currently at an impressive 200 bottles. Mr. N. doesn’t understand the
obsession, but he doesn’t complain.
9. Let us know some of your favorites. Favorite food, favorite book,
favorite movie, favorite TV show, favorite color, favorite place to visit
(city, state, country whatever works!)…now go!
Favorite Food: Italian.. specifically pizza!
Favorite Book: I don’t have a favorite book. I
don’t read books more than once. I do, however, have a favorite author and that
would be Mr. John Grisham!
Favorite Movie: Pretty Woman…hello Julia Roberts!
Favorite TV Show: F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
Favorite Color: I love blue
Favorite Place to Visit: Well my favorite place to
visit now is Home! That would be Minnesota, the Twin Cities (St.
Paul/Minneapolis) area. I didn’t know how much I truly loved Minnesota until I
didn’t live there anymore.
10. If you could switch lives with ANYONE for the day, who would it be
and
why?
Oh my gosh I would totally be Brittney Spears! She
is gorgeous, talented, an amazing dancer, and a down to earth woman. She had some ups and downs, but that is the
case for everyone, she just had to live it in front of the whole world. Regardless, she is just amazing and I love
her!
11. What inspires you? {this can be about anything…blogging, life,
crafts, etc..}
I am inspired by my beautiful herd. They are still
so innocent in their view of the world and sometimes I wish they would stay
young and innocent forever. They are so full of energy and zest. They find the
beauty in the little things. I feel they keep me grounded and young at heart.
They remind me to not take myself too seriously and to laugh. They are
definitely a handful at times, but they’re my handful! I am so proud to be
their mom.
12. What is your favorite trend for the upcoming spring/summer months?
Since I am a nail polish addict! I am really
excited for all the new polish collections that are coming out. It looks like
neon is going to be pretty huge this summer! I cannot wait!
13. Name a product you use daily and would recommend to your best
friend.
Why, (shameless plug) Scentsy of course! In all
seriousness though, I do use my Scentsy warmers on a daily basis. I love to
have a good smelling house, especially with 4 kids, 2 cats, and an abundance of
Army gear my house is always smelling good! If you’re interested in checking
out Scentsy, my website is www.jennaniemi.scentsy.us
14. What are your favorite types of blogs to read? (i.e. fashion, home
decorating, crafting, running, cooking, etc…
I follow a lot of Military Spouse bloggers and, as
of recently, Nail polish and Nail Art blogs. I truly love to read all different
types of blogs.
15. We all like to find some good new reads, so please share your daily
reads! Give a shout out to your top 3 favorite blogs.
I have sooo many favorite blogs that it is hard to
pick just 3! But since I have to, here are 3 fellow Military Wives that I
absolutely adore!
