No Stranger Sunday #9

Welcome to No Stranger Sunday, where every Sunday I will try to post an interview of a different blogger from around the blogsphere. Take the time, get to know these people. Visit their blogs. This week, I am pleased to announce Laura. She has numerous blogs and they're all worth checking out. Definitely be sure to check her out!! :)


Tell us a bit about yourself:
Do you live in a city or a more rural area?
I live in the st louis metropolitan area. I recently moved to the suburbs, after living in the city for 20 years. It is a big change for me, but I love it.

Are you married? If so, how long?
I am not married but I have a wonderful boyfriend of 15 years and we are very compatible.

Do you have children? If so, how many?
I have one grown child, a boy, who is the highlight of my life. He has grown into a young man who I am very proud of. He loves to blog too.

Any extra family members? (i.e. pets)
Wow, where do I start. The main reason I moved was to have a larger house so that my 82 yr old mother could live with me. So I bought a home with mother in law quarters. As it turns out she needed to be closer to me, so my son and his wife live in the mother in law quarters. My mother has the back two bedrooms and my boyfriend has his own section of the house. I have a rottweiler and a standard poodle, a tabby cat and two birds - a blue and gold macaw and an african grey.

What food makes your mouth water, just thinking about it?
I honestly think I could live on ice cream. Chocolate ice cream for every meal would be my ideal. In fact when I was a teenager, my father walked in on me eating ice cream for breakfast.

What is your favorite book?
I am an avid reader. I love Gone With the Wind - I read it the first time at the age of 13. My favorite authors are Stephen King and John Irving. Oh, and I really loved the Twilight Series.

Do you collect anything? If so, what?
Yes, I collect Dreamsicles, the little cherubs with flower wreaths on their head. I also collect books and quilts.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
My hobbies include scrapbooking, reading, gardening, quilting, singing and anything to do with animals. I have also dabbled in painting, especially watercolors.


Tell us a bit about your blog:
Is there any certain reason that you named your blog what you named them?
I actually have 5 blogs. One of them is The road to weightlessness - about my struggles and success with trying to lose weight. Another one is Everything Free - to showcase freebies, samples, coupons and anything free. I am a Real Estate Broker, so I also have a real estate blog called Real Estate News.

When did you start blogging?
I have been blogging for a few years now, but more so within the last year. I struggled at first and had a blog for a few years that didn't really go anywhere, but it sure helped me get the blogging practice I needed.

What is something that you love about your blog?
Mainly the weight struggles because I use this as a way to get a handle on what I should do to get this aspect of my life in check.

Did you design your own blog? If not, who did?
Partially. I downloaded a free blogger template and then constantly tweak it.

Are there any topics that you LOVE to blog about?
I enjoy blogging about blogging, diet, exercise, freebies, real estate, dogs and self improvement in general.

Any topics that you really try not to blog about?
I steer clear of religion and politics for the most part.

How many blogs do you currently use?
I have 5 blogs, but I love to read other blogs. I have quite a few that I follow and comment on regularly. I love the blog community.

Do you have any tips for other bloggers?
I would say to blog what you love, relax and have fun, and enjoy the relationships you make along the way. Submit your site to search engines, ping your posts and comment on sister sites.

Is there anything you'd like to say to the readers?
First of all, thank you very much for having me on your site. Your site is a great one. I would love to hear from any of your readers and I would also love to feature you on my blog.

Laura, thank you for being a part of my meme, No Stranger Sunday! I enjoyed getting to know you, as I'm sure that others have, too. :)

And thanks to everyone for visiting this week's No Stranger Sunday! If you would like to be interviewed, feel free to visit the No Stranger Sunday link and sign up. :)