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Thursday, August 23, 2012

Happy 2 Years!! from blank pages... linky #5 AND a Giveaway!

Boy does time fly! I have officially been blogging for 2 years TODAY! Wahoo! I cannot believe how far I've come in 2 years! I have too many wonderful friends to count, I never would have believed you if you told me I would be 10 followers shy of 400! This whole experience has been one amazing ride and I wouldn't trade it for anything!! Thank you for all of your comments, friendships and support! It wouldn't be the same with out you!


I totally forgot about my blogiversary last year (I think I was pregnant??), and well, for this year I wanted to do something especially fun.  I've actually been meaning to do this all year long but never got around to it. Any kind of anniversary is special though, so I decided I needed to take a little extra time out just for this.

(I wasn't going to do this part, but saw it on someone else's blog once, and since people like to celebrate these things with giveaways too, I figured it might be interesting to see where I'm at...)

In 2 years I have:
  • Published 404 posts (I believe over half of those are from this year!) :) (oh, and this doesn't count all the posts that I moved over to my Our Story section of my blog. This is just quilting/crafting stuff.)
  • received 3240 comments on my various posts
  • had 87,091 pageviews from 29,948 unique visitors. wow.
  • I have 390 followers via GFC (only 10 away from 400!!) and 405 subscribers in google reader
  • 139 people like my Facebook page (that I don't do anything with).
Anyway, basically it goes like this. I don't believe any of that. If you told me two years ago that I would have stats like that I would have laughed. Or punched you because I thought you were teasing me because I'm sure I was dreaming about it. ;) #widrn Eating a slice of humble pie. (= what I'm doing right now) You all are seriously awesome! And I just want to thank you for stopping by and saying hi. Maybe these numbers seem huge, and I'm sure to a lot of people they're small. But to me, I'm pretty excited about it. (I am NOT bragging. We all start somewhere and end up somewhere else. This is where I'm at on this day. Tomorrow I'll be somewhere else. I love watching where life takes us. Ok, now I'm rambling...)
 

Here is my picture round up of projects and posts from the last two years!
(click on the mosaics to go to Flickr and then you can click on the links to find out more about each photo.) :)


The beginning: first quilts, paper crafts, things I sold in my Etsy shop, first knitting projects, Christmas presents, etc. This is all from 2010 and a few projects from before that.

Starting out! 2010 and earlier
there are a few totally awesome awful projects that were left out. Oh well. ;)


2011:

Bags, paper goodies, sewing stuff, things for the little ones, and yes. Number 2 is a baby. I made my third baby in 2011. :)

2011 - kids stuff, bags, paper goods +


All things quilting:
do.Good Stitches bee blocks, minis, quilts, quilted pillow, etc.

2011 - Quilts, minis, do.Good Stitches blocks



2012:

Pillows, Pouches and other sewing items

2012 - pillows, pouches and sewing


And Lots of blocks (do.Good Stitches, Moody Blues 2, [3x6] Mini Sampler Bee, 4x5 Modern Bee and just because)

2012 - Lots of Blocks


Quilts and quilted goodness

2012 - Quilts and quilting goodness


I think it's safe to say that my skills have improved over the years, as well as my photography skills. ;) It's been a fun journey! Thanks for hanging out and looking back with me. It's always nice to see what I've actually accomplished, and that I haven't just been little miss busy body for no reason. :) Swaps have definitely been my favorite thing I've sewn for! They always seem to push me the most as well, which I really enjoy. I hope to jump in another swap here soon! :) But until then, there are WAY too many other things going on!

I think my goal for this next year is to finish more quilts! I have a few still sitting in my closet, that have been there for a while, so next year you will see some of those for sure! I hope. If not, I guess it will just be something better. :)

These mosaics definitely took WAY too long to put together, so I'm just going to leave it at that and not type anymore! lol.


Now I want to see the things YOU'VE done! I think everyone needs a special occasion to celebrate their creations and give themselves a big pat on the back! So here's the perfect excuse! :)


Here's what to do:

Create a blog post that highlights, or shows off all of your creations you've made! Is your list too long? Just pick your favorites, but make sure to search back in time and get all the goodness! Don't skimp on the celebrating, even if it's a little embarrassing going back to the beginning. ;)

Then come back here and link up your blog post in the linky. This will also count as this weeks from blank pages... linky. Because today we are celebrating the beginning of us! :)

You don't have a blog? Make a mosaic and post it in Flickr (or wherever) and you can link up your mosaic here. Need help making a mosaic? Here are some good instructions to help you out. I use Big Huge Labs Mosaic Maker. I read recently that someone liked a different mosaic maker better, but I have no idea where I read that or where it was. If it was you, let us know. :)

Make sure to link back here in your post so others can come join along in the fun as well! :) (you can grab a button or something. :))



And because celebrations are ALWAYS more fun with prizes,  I will be giving away to one lucky reader......


A 5" charm pack of Anna Maria Horner's LouLouThi collection.
30 squares cut by me from my unwashed fabric stash.




To Enter: 
(you must do at least 1 - otherwise I won't know you've entered! bwahahaha! - it's late. 
All others are optional.)

  1. Link up a blog post or mosaic to the linky (1 entry) and leave a comment telling me you did (get an extra entry)
  2. leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite memory as a child
  3. follow this blog and leave a comment telling me you do.
  4. follow me either on facebook, twitter, or intagram! (only one entry even if you do all three)

This giveaway is open to international participants as well! Yay!
I will leave this giveaway open until I pick a winner the morning of Wednesday, September 5th.



Good luck! 
Have fun!
And thanks for stopping by!


Diane





179 comments:

  1. Congratulations on 2 years blogging! That's a great achievement!

    Loved looking over your mosaics - some great projects in there!

    Favourite memory as a child - hard to limit it to one, but birthdays are always special! My mum always did a treasure hunt for our presents - each present hidden in the house, with a clue (rhyming no less!) for us to find it! Can't wait til my kids are old enough to do that for their birthdays!

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  2. woohoo congratulations! i'm a follower

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  3. Childhood memory??
    Didn't the sun always shine when I was a child??? and I'm sure summers were always long and hot!!

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  4. Wow and congrats! I love looking at mosaics - they sure show the progression. They can also show how fabric tastes change, especially the colours we use! You have so many amazing fings in there :)

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  5. BTW I am a follower!!! I forgot to say that in my first comment!! My fav memory as a chid would have to be when we won a HUGE 1 KG Hershey's Choclate bar. Mom took a phto of my sister and I in a tub chair holding the chocolate bar across BOTH of our laps, beaming with our toothless smiles. We probably took a year to eat it - we kept it in the freezer to used a hammer to break chunks off!

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  6. My favourite memory as a child was my 7th birthday when my Mum surprised me with a beautiful shop-ordered cake. It was round with chocolate icing and two beautiful pink icing roses in the centre. I don't know why she made such a fuss that year but I vividly remember it! Never had a cake as nice since!

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  7. My favourite childhood memory is when my parents gathered my brother, sister & I together to tell us some important news - that they were having another baby. I was 9 years old & over the moon, I'd been wishing for this to happen just the week before & I doted on my little brother when he was little (still do a bit now too!). Congrats & thanks for the lovely giveaway.

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  8. And I'm a happy follower of your blog, thanks.

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  9. Congratulations Diane! I love you blog and your beautiful work! It's always enjoy to visit you! I linked to my post. Thank you for a lovely give away! x Teje

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  10. I'm your happy follower!
    (nerospost@gmail.com)

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  11. wow beautiful projects from all this blogging time! thank's for the chance to win, my favorite child memories.. hum a hot chocolate on a cute resto in holland.

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  12. I said 'tweet' about your give away and I follow you there! x Teje

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  13. And an instagram follower (geez, I sound like a stalker now)

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  14. Congratulations! How fun is your pictures of what you have done over the years. I am a sad person because I never thought to take pictures of my projects. Oh well, I am a follower by e-mail.

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  15. My favorite childhood memory is when my grandma would sew, I got to sit on the floor under the machine and work the treadle. She was almost totally blind but she still sewed all the time.

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  16. Congratulations! Favorite memory would have to be when my grandmother saved me from a very embarrassing situation (this while my mother was enjoying and prolonging my embarrassment even more). Best grandmother, and best memory ever.

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  17. I follow your blog thru GFC and Google Reader!

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  18. My favorite memory as a child... Flying kites with my brother and my grandfather.

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  19. I follow your wonderful blog (through an e-mail subscription)

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  20. One of my favorite memories as a child was sledding down the neighborhood hill on snow days.

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  21. WOW...look at you go! I don't have time to create a mosaic right now, but congrats on 2 years of blogging!

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  22. I am a blog follower ... and happy to have found your blog thanks to the Winterkist Blog Hop.

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  23. Wow, you have accomplished alot in 2 years - congratulations & keep up the good work!. Looking forward to the Friendship quilt Blog Hop too. My favorite childhood memory was my 10th birthday present. I was in the middle of 5 children & we were quite poor but I received a BRAND NEW BLUE BIKE for my birthday - the best present ever! Thanks for the chance to win a pretty charm pack.

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  24. Wow, that's an impressive lot!!! Congratulations to you, great job! :) I follow you in Google reader!

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  25. I follow you on Instagram and Facebook.

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  26. My favorite childhood memory is going around Lake Superior with my brother and grandparents with their motor home club. We had so much fun?

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  27. My favorite memory is of my grandma daisy. She was super fun.

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  28. I follow your blog. I like your mosaics, I need to learn how to do that.

    Question, how do you find out how many people follow you on a reader app.?

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  29. I grew up on a farm where there was always things to be done in the garden in the summer. I loved Sundays because we would not work, we'd often have company over for dinner after church and then we'd go out on the front porch are read the paper (the funnies for me) and talk. It was fun to listen to what the grown ups had to say.

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  30. I'm a follower and I love your blog!

    kelli dot sanders at comcast dot net

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  31. We moved ALOT when I was a child... my favorite memories were always sitting next to my dad fishing. It didn't matter where we lived, he always took me fishing :)

    kelli dot sanders at comcast dot net

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  32. Congratulations!! Great blog and great inspiration! One of my many favorite childhood memories is a vacation we took to the beach as kids. It was great in so many ways with the added excitement of watching Neil Armstrong take his first step on the moon, on a little black and white T.V. in the motel room (really dates me - July 21, 1969). Thanks for the chance to win!
    ellen(at)myerly(dot)net

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  33. My favorite memory as a child is going to camp for the first time.

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  34. I follow you on google reader.

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  35. Congrats on the blog accomplishments.

    A favorite childhood memory: Our dog had puppies one time and for my birthday in 2nd grade they were an adorable age, so my parents didn't have to plan any entertainment, we just cuddle with cute puppies.

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  36. I have so many happy childhood memories! One that always brings me joy is the memory of seeing my baby sister waiting and watching for my older sister and I as we walked home from the school bus stop. She was always SO happy to see us coming home so that we could play together~! :-)

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  37. I am a follower! Love your blog!! :-)

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  38. I loved playing with my babydolls and making them clothes (sewn by hand).
    Thanks for the chance to win!

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  39. I also like you on Facebook. Thank you so much for the wonderful giveaway! :-)

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  40. My favorite childhood memory: eating smashed up scrambled eggs with ketchup with my grandma :) her favorite :)

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  41. My favorite childhood memory in a family trip to the US to Disneyworld :)

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  42. I follow your blog (by mail) :)

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  43. I follow you on Facebook and everywhere :)

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  44. congrats. my favorite memory as a kid was when my moms parents came from Ohio (I lived in CA at the time) and the whole family every summer would got Yellowstone Park for two weeks camping in the summer. Great times.
    quilting[dash]lady[at]comcast[dot]net

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  45. Quite a list of accomplishments! One of my favorite childhood memories is my dad teaching me to ride a 2-wheel bicycle. He had polio and there weren't many things he could physically do with us kids. My bicycle training must've been a real strain for him and he was smiling so proud when I finally stayed upright.

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  46. I LIKE you on Facebook now. I'm a quilter and look forward to seeing your quilts.

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  47. Congratulations on your blogiversary! My favourite childhood memory is climbing trees in my grandad's garden, and swinging on the swing :)

    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  48. My favorite childhood memory...

    All of the good ones involve my maternal Gramma. The best one I think is probably when she took me fabric shopping to buy the material for the first quilt that we were making together and she let me pick the weirdest colors and never said a word. :D I used that quilt until it was literally in tatters.

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  49. Also, I've been a follower of yours for a while now. :D

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  50. I am now following you blog by email now, till now I was following you on bloglovin'

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  51. My favorite childhood memory would have to be Disney World. I always felt so magical when I went there with my family :)

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  52. I follow you on Twitter (@MugglePuggle)!

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  53. I follow your blog through Google Friend Connect :)

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  54. my favorite childhood memory was visiting my grandma in france in the summer. she would take me to the market, buy me chocolate eggs, teach me how to read, and prepare green beans with me. good times. =)

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  55. i also follow your blog now. thanks for the great giveaway!

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  56. favorite memory-reading poems with my mother.

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  57. Favorite memory is sewing with my Grandma on her treadle machine. Which I now have.

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  58. Congratulations on your blogaversary! Favorite childhood memory is camping and fishing with my family. Thanks for the chance.

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  59. I linked up my blog post even though I messed up my mosaic (now you have to read it to find out why LOL)

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  60. My favourite memory would probably be feeding the pigeons in Trafalgar Square with my Dad

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  61. my favorite summer-childhood memory must be eating watermelon with my family in the garden:)

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  62. Sou seguidora de seu lindo blog,aqui.tiacarminhapezzuto@gmail.com

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  63. My favourite memories are of beaches in the summer

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  64. Minha memória de infância das melhores eram picnic com tios e primos,brincadeiras e pescarias.Engraçado não lembrar de ter pego algum peixe...vai ver não pesquei nenhum.Parabéns por seus números e sucesso.tiacarminhapezzuto@gmail.com

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  65. fav. memory as a child..... so many good ones! i'd have to pick our family camping trips. always fun and loved being outside, canoeing, campfires, hiking - a blast!

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  66. I linked up to the linky party! Fun!

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  67. My favorite childhood memory is riding bikes with my Dad from Wildwood, NJ to Cape May, NJ every year on our vacation. It was such a treat to spend the whole day with my Dad.

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  68. I have wonderful memories of cuddling with my parents while they read books to me. Congrats on a great anniversary!!

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  69. I follow your blog through Google Reader too!

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  70. One of my favorite childhood memories is of sitting in our dog's bed, reading to her. (I was an odd kid.)

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  71. I'm a new follower via email.

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  72. Just found your blog for the first time and have spent hours reading from it - can't wait for the next 2 years, fantastic blog, very inspirational! Congrats :) One of my favorite childhood memories was going down to my great grandmothers ranch and feeding a lamb from a bottle. Baby animals are so cute.

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  73. Fav memory... Hmmm, have to be camping with the family and exploring the big outdoors!!

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  74. I couldn't pick one favourite memory, I had a great childhood. I loved our family holidays in the caravan though.

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  75. As a child, I so looked forward to Christmas every year! Thanks!

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  76. I used to play hide n seek with my sister when we were young

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  77. Favorite childhood memory? Maybe going to the beach with my family. Love it!

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  78. I am a blog follower via Google Reader!

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  79. I am a happy follwer of your blog. Thank-you.Becky

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  80. As a child we always went to Sault St.Marie Michigan.My mom was from there so it was always my favorite time of year it is a beautiful place.Thank-you.Becky

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  81. Favourite memory as a child, oh so hard to choose just one memory- but having recently seen my children playing on the beach with their cousins, I'd have to say catching eels and crabs using our bare hands with my brother and sister on the beach in Scotland.

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  82. I added to the linky thanks for the chance to win and to share what I have been up to.

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  83. I follow the blog and I am a teacher who quilts for stress release and then blogs about it I also like cooking, photography and other crafty stuff too and sometimes blog about all that.

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  84. Favorite childhood memory I guess siting under the kitchen table while my teenage brothers and their friends where hanging out, I am 12 years younger than my oldest brother. Although I was "hiding" from them it felt great to have some many people around that could tolerate me enough to let me follow them around.

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  85. Favorite childhood memory - riding the horse bareback with my brother and sister - into the hardwood hammock way back in the field - cutting our own Christmas tree - then bringing it home for my parents to put in the stand.

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  86. Phew - I made a mosaic - what a marathon gathering images from my badly filed pictures in very disorganised folders!! It's inspired me to make a mosaic of all the bee blocks I've made so far, but that will have ot be anotehr day!!

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  87. Congratulations on your 2 years of blogging! I'm a follower!

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  88. Congrats on 2 years! I follow you!

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  89. I've linked up, but I only have one project to share from this year. One of my favorite memories from childhood is stringing buttons with my Grandma.

    Deborah
    homemakerhoney@ gmail .com

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  90. I follow via email.

    Deborah
    homemakerhoney @gmail .com

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  91. Twitter follower.

    Deborah
    homemakerhoney @gmail .com

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  92. my favorite memory as a child involves lying on a quilt in the side yard, green grass smelling sweet and a HUGE wall of lilac bushes towering over me, bending halfway down with the weight of all the light and dark purple blossoms. Oh, the scent!!

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  93. favourite childhood memory .. I guess the carelessly running around just having fun

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  94. hmmm, favorite childhood memory.... going down to the corner store and buying a bubble gum ice cream cone for a quarter.

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  95. My favorite memory from childhood is baking cookies with my mom and my best friend Chris (we are still friends too!) when we were about 5, then we dressed up in my mom's dresses, heels, hats and oven mitts to deliver a couple of pans of cookies to Chris's mom around the corner! We were soooooo cute!!!

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  96. I'm a new follower. :) Nice to *meet* you.

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  97. Favorite memory as a child.. hunting Easter eggs with my cousins every year.

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  98. Happy 2nd Blogiversary! I was 8 years old when my Mom had my baby brother! It was so exciting when they came home from the hospital and I got to hold him.

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  99. It seems like my childhood was one big, happy memory. In particular, I loved the FREEDOM that we had to roam, explore, visit in our rural Maine community. I did things I would NEVER let my kids do now.

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  100. Congratulations on the blog. It looks great. I am a new follower.Thanks for the opportunity on the giveaway.
    bonnielarson58@gmail.com

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  101. Going to the park with my parents.

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  102. Congratulations on your anniversary. You make a lot of very pretty things. As a child, I remember swimming every day in the creek.

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  103. IM A NEW FOLLOWER!!! :) AND I LIKED YOU ON FACEBOOK

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  104. my favorite childhood memory would be our family reunion picnics... we still have them...

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  105. Happy blog anniversary and thanks for hosting two giveaways at the same time! :)

    My favorite childhood memory - seeing my dad come home after another of his long work contracts out of state. We lived in Wyoming and he was an airplane mechanic. Unfortunately, Wyoming doesn't have a lot of need for airplane mechanics! Dad had to work out of state a lot so we were always happy when he flew home for a visit.

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  106. I'm a new follower. Thanks for the chance....

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  107. I think my favorite childhood memories were when we would travel to Florida in the summers. We lived in a big city, so coming to Florida was such a huge difference. We eventually moved to Florida and I love the nearly year round warm weather.

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  108. I like you on Facebook. (Rhonda Gaines Desgranges)

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  109. I loved taking care of my horses and riding in tall grassy areas.

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  110. I'm all linked up with a mosaic within a post ;)

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  111. Favorite childhood memory: On my 10th birthday, My grandma handed me a present. She always gave the greatest ones. I opened it up, and It was a Travel Journal. I was less than enthoused , but I thanked her. Then I opened it and read the inscription. It goes something like this. " Dani Darlin' My Birthday present to you is a trip to California. Happy Birthday."..........HOLY SMOKES!!!! I was so excited and we had the times of our lives for 5 whole weeks! I will never forget it. ....but I did get a little homesick. 5 weeks from home is a lot of time for a 10 yr old:)

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  112. I follow you, congrats on the anniversary, you have done soooo much!

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  113. i am a happy follower on facebook:)

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  114. my fav. memory is just spending time one on one with my mom, she worked all the time so it wasnt vert often that we got to do that.

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  115. My best memories are playing cubbies and dress-ups with my sisters! Love the quick look at all you have made! Off to have a closer look!

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  116. I loved going to the farm to visit my grandparents, I still like doing it, I just hate seeing them grow so old.

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  117. Childhood memory- so many good ones. Perhaps the Christmas morning I came down to find a big doll in a push chair, waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.

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  118. I follow your blog! Hmmm. Childhood memories- there are so many awesome things I remember! I loved being outside- all the time. My favorite was to catch lightning bugs with the neighborhood kids right up until bedtime.

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  119. My fav is the Christmas that my Grandpa (who lived with us) made a dog house for our neighbors. When a second appeared under the tree, my parents told me that it was a second house for the dog next door. I was confused why he would need two. No, I didn't get a puppy. Instead it was a house Grandpa had made for me - custom fit for Fisher Price people!

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  120. I now follow your blog

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  121. My favorite memory(s), all the moving we did. Every two years. My father was in the service. I loved it, my mom hated it.

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