Thursday, March 25, 2010

Thank You!



I have to tell you that when I started blogging, and for a long time afterward, I was always amazed that anyone was actually reading. What could I possibly have to share that anyone would value? There is no wonderful writing here, no serious content, no poetry... just some pictures of things I love.

Hardly Pulitzer material.

But then I put that little Followers widget on my sidebar, and began to watch as the list grew. Well, last week some time it reached 700.

And it occurred to me that here I was, helping 700 people ignore their laundry or put off reading their emails at work, even if only for a little while.

My mother would be so proud. lol




I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for following Little Red House. I am warmed by your friendly and kind comments each and every day, and I am truly touched that you take time out of your busy days to visit here with me.

So I wanted to find something special for a giveaway. I visited my favorite thrift store, and came home with two beautiful dishes, for one lucky giveaway winner.




I found this little china basket, with gilded edges and delicate handles. It's a very sweet little piece of china, and would look fabulous filled with jelly beans. Or malted milk eggs. Or peanut M&M's.

Are you sensing a trend here? :)




I also found a lovely dish, painted with birds, butterflies and insects. It is for display use only -- and what a beautiful display it would make on a sideboard or mantel.

In fact, I think I will display it on my own mantel till the end of the giveaway.

You understand, don't you? ;)




So, let's have a giveaway!

The Giveaway Rules

1. You need to be a follower of this blog. This is not a blatant attempt to gain more followers. If you want to become a follower to enter the giveaway, that would be great. If you are already a follower, thanks!

2. To enter, leave a comment on this post.

3. For a second entry, write about the giveaway on your blog, and then come back and leave another comment on this post.

4. I must have a way to contact you if you win. This means that your profile must contain either your blog link or your email address. If you are not a blogger, please leave me your email address in your comment.

The contest will remain open through 9:00 pm Eastern time on March 31st. Winner will be drawn by Random.org. and announced on April 1st. Good luck!

The contest is now closed. Winner will be announced April 2nd. Thank you for playing along. :)

90 comments:

  1. what a generous giveaway. i love the little basket with the gilded bands. these two dishes compliment each well.
    you are so welcomed...i have enjoyed every visit i have made to your little red house.
    happy springtme.

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  2. I would so love to enter this give away please Mary. And may I say that if it wasn't for you I would never have discovered my passion for photography, blogging and mosaics, so "Thank You" Mary!

    Best wishes,
    Natasha.

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  3. don't know what i am doing up at this hour but i put a link to your giveaway on my sidebar with a photo. how exciting...good luck everyone.

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  4. What wonderful pieces you found for your give away. It is a treat visiting your blog. Your pictures are lovely and inspirational.

    FlowerLady

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  5. I remember the first time I found your blog and was enchanted. Your blog name is what drew me here,,,red is my favorite colour and here I find someone with a red house! Oh my!!!

    Your a blessing and definitely one that does the heart good!!

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  6. Oh, Mary. That is very sweet of you. And 700 followers ! Wowsers! I always send out a YAHOOOO when someone follows my little blog and have been thrilled with 53! Oh, my. 700.....wow, I'd be hooting all day long! Congratulations! You do have a lovely blog. Have a great day. Sincerely, Susan

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  7. My favorite thing about your blog is that you show that you do not have to have a McMansion to have a beautiful home.
    I love to shop antique stores also. You found two great items. Love to have either.

    Judy - Hartraffl@cox.net

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  8. Mary~~~

    I too, am always in amazement that people want to follow my blog. I am not a big crafter, nor the best photographer, I just try to document moments in my life. So to you I say...celebrate!! You have something to say and people want to listen (and see your gorgeous home and beautiful photographs!)

    Your giveaway is more than generous. How sweet you are.

    xoxo
    Jane

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  9. Bless your dear heart!
    Your blog is just so lovely and you are a gifted photographer! Thank you for sharing a part of your world with your readers!
    Joanne

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  10. I have been a follower for awhile now ...love your blog Mary...

    Congrats on reaching the 700 club :) and thanks for sharing all of your beautiful stories and photos with us...

    All the best,
    xo Kathy :)
    jokaj@comcast.net

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  11. I too have been a follower for over a year now. Hopefully I show up since you added it to your blog! I am so into birds right now and I love that plate especially. I can pictue a few chocolate covered eggs in that candy dish...that's do-able for sure! Have a great day and please count me in!

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  12. Funny thing...I was not a follower. I thought I was...you are on my sidebar and everything. Oh well, I am now!

    Peanut M&M's are just the thing I would put in that sweet bowl.

    It would be so delightful to win these lovely pieces.

    Have a great day!

    Becky K.

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  13. Mary, I always love reading your blog. In fact yours was one of the first ones I started reading and you were part of my inspiration to start blogging. The giveaway you're offering is just stunning, and I'd love to win. Please sign me up! I'm also having a giveaway and would love for you to sign up for it.

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  14. Mary, what a delightful giveaway. I am new to blogging and struggle my through the computer techno stuff each day, your blog setup is so easy to follow and you make everyone feel so welcome. Thank you.

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  15. I love, love, love the bird plate! What a pretty give-away!

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  16. So adorable. And yes, I do already follow your blog. :)

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  17. I posted your give-away on my sidebar. Fingers & toes are crossed!

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  18. Mary,your giveaway has been posted on my blog front and center. Take care and have a great day:)

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  19. Those are both beautiful pieces. I am already a follower.

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  20. thanks ever so much for keeping me from my laundry :) I am a follower and would love to be entered into your very generous giveaway!

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  21. Sign me up girlfriend!!!!
    xoxo~Kathy @
    Sweet Up-North Mornings...

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  22. Of course I'm a "FOLLOWER"!!!!
    xoxo~Kathy @
    Sweet Up-North Mornings...

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  23. Ohhhh! A beautiful giveaway for beautiful me??? I'm a faithful follower and a lover of plates! Thanks for the opportunity. And come check out my giveaway.

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  24. Congratulations on your 700th follower Mary. I am a follower and always enjoy my visits.

    Beautiful giveaway!!

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  25. Mary...Congrats and I LOVE following your blog and when I can, participating in MM. Keep on blogging Girl!!

    Blessings!
    Gail @ Faithfulness Farm

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  26. Congrats! I found you yesterday and am now a new follower. I am looking forward to "catching up" and also will enjoy this precious giveaway! have a blessed day!
    Juanita

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  27. I love the plates. They are gorgeous!

    I am back to be "live" again... Hope to see you visit!

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  28. What a lovely give-away - something that has been in your home. I follow you on bloglines - it tells me every time that there is a new post and I can rush over here to read it. Did you know that you have an extra 82 followers on bloglines?

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  29. Congrats on that amazing number of followers, Mary.
    Hope you have a great weekend..
    (I opt out of the give away, just wanted to say congrats!)

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  30. You remind us that it's home that matters, the things that surround us and our loved ones, the objects that comfort us...it's all called Home Sweet Home! Love your blog...

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  31. Oh wow, what gorgeous pieces you found for a giveaway. I just adore both of them. So pretty. I am a follower and would love to be entered in your giveaway. I do so enjoy your blog and look forward to more of your posts. Hugs, Marty

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  32. What a sweet post, and lovely giveaway. I always enjoy visiting your blog!

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  33. I just love that darling basketweave bowl. It is so sweet. Thanks for sharing your life.
    roking15922@gmail.com

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  34. I would love to win that lovely bird plate. You have a lovely blog. I am a follower already.
    Blessings!
    Gwen

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  35. Good Morning Mary, what a wonderful thing to do for your followers. I am so happy to have found your blog... it was through one of your followers but I can't remember who. The plate is perfect for this time of year and the little dish is so cute. Thank you for inspiring us and letting us be a part of your life. I hope you have a wonderful day. Take care Maura

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  36. Hi Mary, I love your blog, every time I come here I feel so relaxed! I have been following you since your move and even put the beautiful black and white rose as a background on my computer, because I LOVE ROSES. It is just so peaceful to look at. I am a native SLC Utahn hehehe living in sunny St. George now. I collect beautiful plates and one of these would be such a treat to have! LOVE YOUR BLOG please keep it up! warm hugs and smiles across a few short miles! lindalusbtdt.blogspot.com

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  37. Mary, congratulations! Your blog and Susan's (BNOP) inspired me to start my own. I always get excited when I see you have a new post! Thanks for sharing your little red house with all of us - it is truly shelter from the storm.

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  38. Mary congratulations on having so many wonderful followers! I've loved your blog from the first day I came to visit. What a sweet giveaway you are having and such lovely items.

    BTW, I am a follower.

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  39. Mary just wanted to let you know that I posted your fab giveaway on my blog here: http://steppintomyworld.blogspot.com/2010/03/sharing-fab-spring-give-way.html

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  40. I can't tell you how BEAUTIFUL I think these are!! I would love to be included in this, and am glad to have found this other blog of yours! :)♥

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  41. Your blog is eye candy, Mary! I have been a follower for only a few months but already I am "hooked" - I would just love to win those gorgeous pieces you are giving away. My email is: wpmk91@aol.com -Thanks! Wendy

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  42. Hi Mary: I am a **FOLLOWER** and love every one of your posts. What photographs! So.....hope to win one of those beautiful pieces. By the way, would love to see more of that kitty. Hugs, Deb

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  43. You are so popular!!! And it's always such a joy to come over to the red house!

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  44. I want to enter because if I won it would be such a treat to have a physical momento of you. Big hug to you.

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  45. I am in love with that plate. And I think I also need the basket. It's okay with me if you display it until I win!

    And congratulations on the Big Seven Oh Oh. You have been one of my favorite spots to visit since I discovered what blogs are!

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  46. Mary, yours was one of the first blogs I discovered and bookmarked when I found out that there were talented women on the web who were willing to share their homes and lives through words and photography. You have been inspiring. Please sign me up for the plate giveaway...it would look so nice in my sunroom. peggy from pa bfdgirl@yahoo.com

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  47. Hi Mary, this giveaway is so special and pretty.Please count me in!~~Becky

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  48. Im a new folower to your lovely blog!

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  49. I just found your blog last week and have been stopping by daily to see your lovely photos. My family of 7 just bought our first house--an old Victorian that will need a lot of love--and I am finding a lot of inspiration in the world of house blogs! I love yours because you have this soft, pretty design aesthetic that I am aspiring to. When I opened this post and saw the bird plate, I gasped out loud--I love it that much. Good luck to everyone!

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  50. Yours was one of the first blogs I found after I started blogging last July and I became a follower! I had no idea what I was doing, but it has been a wonderful journey with you and so many other blog friends! Congratulations on 700 followers and more to come!
    Blessings,
    Laurie

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  51. Of course I posted about your giveaway, Mary!

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  52. I am a follower of your little red house blog...is that the same thing? I love this dish. I'm a huge dish collector and fanatic. I don't know why I love them so much but it's definitely a problem!

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  53. I love visiting with you and your little red house! How are you ever going to part with that sweet bird plate?

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  54. Mary, I started following you when you started Mosaic Monday, and I'm glad I did! I just redid our spare bedroom, and the theme is nature and birds. The dish would be a perfect addition :-)

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  55. Mary, I follow both of your blogs. I love your photographs.
    I would just love that little bird plate.
    :-)
    Hoosier hugs,
    Cheryl

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  56. I am a new follower. I come here and feel like home. I love the plates.

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  57. well i must say that i feel so comfortable in your little red house .... its my first but not last visit.... i too am very new to this blogging experience but i do know that i have met some of the most wonderful women with beautiful spirits ..... i can say that this has opened up a whole new world for me and its through my journals that i able to share truth love and a part of myself that i normally wouldn't think to share with others..... when i win the 2 plates i will share one with the local womans shelter here inthe area i live in ...... my e mail is cloe61@aol.com thanks for sharing a little bit of your life with others

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  58. Mary, how marvellous that your followers number over 700, what a wonderful acheivement.
    I've been one of them for quite a while now and join you for MM whenever I can.
    I think your giveaway treasures are wonderful and would love to give them a new home in Normandy so please do enter me for your giveaway.
    I'll take the button for normandylife and come back and tell you about it tout suite!
    ~Maggie~

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  59. Mary~ WOW 700 followers how wonderful! I have only been following for a short time, I always enjoy your blog and adventures! What special pieces for a giveaway! I love the lil basket, and can picture it filled with colorful candies for every season!
    ~Betty

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  60. I've been a follower for quite some time and very happy to be one. It's always a great little treat to hop on your blog and grab a little inspiration for the day. I too enjoy blogging and seeing all who come to visit. Congratulations.

    - The Tablescaper

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  61. congrats on so many followers!! I love your blog and count it as an inspiration for me! My blog is a baby, still trying to crack out its egg, but one day, I hope to grow up to be a blog with as many wonderful followers as you!

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  62. Great giveaway items! I am following you! Thanks much!

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  63. Oh my over 700 followers a big congratulations. Your giveaway is wonderful.I would love to have a chance to win. I am a follower.

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  64. I am rebuilding our cottage. (tore down the old one) Right now I have plain walls. (we'll be painting this week) It's like a blank canvas to work with. These would be a perfect addition and inspiration ;)

    www.fashionafterforty.blogspot.com

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  65. Hi Mary!

    thank you for the chance to win this pretty plate and basket. I am a follower. I always enjoy seeing what you have posted.

    Have a great day.

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  66. I've been a follower for some time now! Stopping by your site is always a treat! Love the plate and little basket dish--hoping to win! Stick horse cowgirl V

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  67. Oh my! I just want them so bad!!!
    I just found your blog! just in time, I guess!!
    Wish me luck!
    (escuishi@hotmail.com)

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  68. I have been enjoying your blog for quite a while now, Mary. Love the Eva Cassidy song, by the way. Congrats on 700 blog entries. WOW!
    cmflan122@gmail.com

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  69. I posted about your give away here:
    http://jonjdsbitsandpieces.blogspot.com/

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  70. I think you are a fabulous writer and have been following you for some time. Love the giveaway goodies!

    flashherk@yahoo.com

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  71. You know I have always followed you from the very beginning, but no I am "official". I want that bird plate!

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  72. I really love reading your blog. You have such good taste in decorating and I've used some of your great ides in my own home.

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  73. hello mary, i do enjoy visiting your blog! i'm a happy "to be here" follower and would love to be pary of your give away!

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  74. Your site is gorgeous! I don't have time (or inclination) to visit many blogs, so the few that I do "inhabit", must really be worth my time...and that is yours!

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  75. Lovely idea - thanks for thinking of us. And, I beg to differ - your writing is wonderful. Maybe not the stuff of Pulitzers, no, but a treat to read for those of us who do. Trust me, I'm a writer/editor. It's good.

    Leslie

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  76. I posted a link (two, actually) to your giveaway post on my blog. I haven't done that before, so who knows, maybe I'll get lucky!

    http://countrycontemporary.blogspot.com/2010/03/happy-spring.html

    Thanks again!

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  77. I would love to be in your giveaway:) Come for a visit.....I am having an Anniversary Giveaway:)

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  78. Hi Mary,
    Thank you for sharing yourself with honesty, I feel your genuine heart! It inspires me to share more, so many times I thought, oh who cares who am I, and what's going on in my life? But all it matters is that we share ourselves. Each one of us, has her own treasure and it amazes me how much beauty is out there!
    I follow you not because of your give away, but because of your richness and talent.
    Blessings!

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  79. I've got to get out to the thrift shops again, enough of this winter hibernation!

    Beautiful pieces; enter me, please.

    And you deserve every one of those 700 followers; yours was the first blog I ever found, and I was fascinated. Thanks for luring me into blogging . . . I think!

    Cass

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  80. Looks like I just made it under the wire. This is a lovely post. One in which I find refreshment and beauty! Cathy

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  81. I hope this won't be an April Fools joke. (he-he)
    I am a follower and think this is a gorgeous giveaway! Thank you and Happy Spring, Joan

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  82. I would like to be entered in your giveaway.

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  83. love your memories and beautiful photos...i too was raised in a little red house and now live on a mini farmette with a retired racing greyhound...your giveaways are some of the best...also i love to quilt (beginner)and to garden(advanced) and i cook a little each day...thank you for the chance to win a gorgeous collectible treasure...

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  84. People recognize talent, heart and a warm an dgiving spirit. You have all of that Mary...

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  85. What a beautiful home you are blessed to share with your family! And how generous to sponsor such a precious give-away. The small gilded basket reminds me of the delightful little decorations set about my grandmother and great-grandmother's homes. The birds which adorn the plate are gorgeous. We are a military, homeschooling family stationed in Greater London. My two youngest children and I are often pausing our studies to admire all the birds who stop by our back garden. I wonder about the life these precious treasures lived before coming to their new "foster home" with you? A silly musing, huh? Thank you for sharing a bit of you with us. May your family enjoy many blessings this Easter! Penny at threelilcs@hotmail.com

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  86. What treasures to be giving away, Mary! As one of your followers, I can only say that I enjoy what you show and say in your posts. In this land of blog, it is so much fun for us to glean new ideas from each other. Thanks for sharing. ~ Sue
    Happy Easter!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. I love to hear what you have to say!