Hit me with your blogging stick
I told my sister I had started a blog and her mouth dropped.
What about all those nasty comments?
Erm – what nasty comments? I suspect she was referring to online newspaper editorials that draw the anonymous minions out of the woodwork to tell the editor they’re WRONG about the weather/gun control/religion/war/gay marriage/banana cupcakes.
I’ve been blogging now for just over a month and, apart from the spammers that are magically whisked away by some mystical power called ‘Akismet’ (50 to date – thank you, Akismet!) I’ve had nothing but wonderful feedback from a myriad of intelligent and thoughtful bloggers.
WordPress also has a wonderful button called ‘Approve’ – I’m glad it’s there as an added safety net, but there has never been a time when I’ve had to think twice about pushing it.
I’ve got favourite bloggers now – I watch their pages like some kind of desperate cat lady peeking through the curtains to catch their next move – and every day I try to put aside some time to check out someone new.
A few things have changed in my life since I started my blog:
My husband is constantly repeating himself
Do you want some dinner? I said, do you want some dinner? Dianne, do you want some dinner?
My dogs have become famous
Get us fresh steak and heated dog beds
I’ve discovered widgets
Now I just have to learn how to use them
I’ve discovered emoticons
But only know how to make three of them 🙂 😉 😦
I’ve discovered new music
Don’t tell Seal
I’ve purchased seven e-books
Writing tonight? Reading tonight? Blogging tonight? Do you want some dinner?
People twitter me
Apologies to all those I unfollowed when I got my new (let’s-unfollow-everyone-on-twitter) iphone – I’m spending the days tracking you down so I can push ‘follow’ again!
I got a new iphone (see above) so I can keep in touch with bloggers while I’m travelling the length and breadth of this huge brown land next month
Because I’m a failure as a photographer I’ve learned how to put charts in Excel
See pic above
My new iphone has a camera so I’m going to learn to use it for my travels
Oh yes – another picture of a kangaroo
I laugh a lot – seriously, people on this site can be side-splittingly funny!
Do you want dinner – are you laughing or crying?
After spending years in the hermit-writing-zone, blogging has opened my eyes to other worlds, people, life, travel, fear, love, happiness, tragedy and belief. Everyone is unique and has a story to tell and I thank you for sharing that part of your story with me.
If you happen to catch this blog – thank you for dropping by!
How you must continue, I jump when I see the notice you’ve posted, looking for my smile for the day… of which I’m so lucky having found so many bloggers to follow that fill my day with smiles and laughs… you have become a new addition and now you are actually going to post a photo or two, kangaroos, don’t see many of those on my travels taking photos of wild life… keep it coming, I await now on a few Aussie women to produce the goods…
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Thank you – no doubt my photos will disappoint because I’m such a klutz with gadgets, hopefully I’ll get some action shots (not being attacked though!) I’m staying at my brothers for a few days and the kangaroos wander into his yard in the mornings and afternoons.
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Good time to practice with the gadget… Roos should adorn your blog… a true Aussie site…
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OMG. I absolutely love this post! You have such a great sense of humor! “Do you want dinner?” Haha. Thank you for the great laugh!
And I love how you describe following your favorite bloggers… I also feel that way at times.
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Thanks, Tiffany! He seriously says that! It’s hilarious.
Glad you feel like the old cat lady too sometimes!
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I like the part, that your husband is “constantly repeating himself”, is that nice for a change…*lol*.
Great post Dianne:-)
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Hahaha – Just as I read this I heard him say ‘did you hear me?’ I said ‘yes’ but actually didn’t hear what he said!
Thank you 😀 (my new emoticon)
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Am so glad you found my blog loved this post new emoticon for you : D next to each other you get 😀
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sorry that should have been : p next to each other you get :p
my puppy distracted me by climbing on key board
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Oops – I put my reply to you way down the bottom of the page – told you I was new to this 🙂
Here it is! 😀
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don’t worry am having one of those mornings here the puppy and toddler are on the rampage
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I love your blog – and this entry is totally a cherry on the top! So true about the hermit-ness of writing! Same here, i am way happier and connected too since i started blogging! xxxx
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So glad to hear, Ruth. At first I felt really weird about it, but I’m enjoying it more than I have anything else for a long time.
I think I was so caught up with my writing, I forgot there was a whole world out there 🙂
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Yay, I’m glad you like your new home. This post is lovely and reflects a lot of the things I feel about blogging too. I like to think of WordPress as the friendly corner of the internet – somewhere to retreat to when the rest of it feels a bit too scary. 🙂
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So right, Tash – everyone is so supportive and lovely. You really feel like you can just blurt it all out and there’s bound to be someone out there who feels the same way – if they don’t, they just skip past you 🙂
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Oh thanks, Paula! Love the fact that your puppy’s helping you!
Here goes 😀
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I’m also in love with the [WordPress] blogging world – can’t vouch for any other – a nicer bunch of people you’ll never “meet”. I found myself “me tooing” reading your post. I really like reading posts like your’s – it’s like watching people unwrapping thoughtful gifts on Christmas morning… “oh, you gave me this, it’s just what I wanted, how did you know”… 🙂
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Oh – they are such beautiful words!
Thank you (and I love the fact that ‘happy’ is your favourite word!)
I saw you have another blog – I’m following 🙂
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wow! You express my sentiments as well!!! I’m still working on my “lovely” blog, I should get it out sometime this afternoon! YAY!!! I can’t stop reading between here and my 3 books I’m currently reading I’m in HEAVEN!!!!!
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So glad you liked it!
Can’t wait to read your ‘lovely’ blog. It’s late here so hopefully I get to see it before I fall asleep 🙂
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I admit, I’m a bit addicted to the Site Stats page – must be an engineering number thingy 🙂
Marti
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Thanks for coming to my page, Marti. My spread sheet didn’t come out clearly. I’ve got things like house cleaning on it – but I should have made it bigger 😦
I love your cartoons!
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I’ve yet to recieve any “nasty” comments, hah! Although I can relate when my wife repeatedly tells me to do things when I’m updating my pages lol.
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Thanks, Terry. Yes – we tend to go a little deaf when we’re updating pages!
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Great Intro .. sure I could learn a lot from you since i am a noobie too… am slow on the startup – iife gets in the way 🙂
…… have still to figure out the emoticon thingum !
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Us noobie’s have a lot to learn! Though you pages seem far better organised than mine 🙂
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You crack me up! I can’t wait to see your action shot pictures! Even if they have thumbs in the corner and one is labeled “a kangaroo was right here”. 😀
Your blog makes my day – so right back atcha sister. Cat ladies unite!
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Lmao…. Thank you for the laugh!
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Hahaha! So true!
Love the cat lady comment 😀
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Great that you’ve found a new channel for your creativity 🙂 And I can only think of how your husband reacts whenever he asks you.. 🙂
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Thanks, Sophie!
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You mean we are supposed to feed our husbands? Now you tell me.
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No way, Robin! He feeds me 😀
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Ditto on soooo many points as a new blogger myself! I think my husband has mixed feelings about my blogging. Since mine is a food blog he gets to reap those rewards but is constantly telling me I spend too much time on the computer ( I probably am- blogging is pretty big time suck)
Also, I have learned not to say in casual conversation with people “I have a blog”, I get funny looks. The ladies at the dog park the other day were like “Why would you want to write about your dinner?”
I love that in blogging you have time to sort out your thoughts because in real life I never have a good response to those kind of backhanded questions. Glad I have you in my awesome blogging community and I always love your posts!
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Oh, Kendra! The ladies in the dog park sound classic! (I could see them standing there looking like the Queen of England asking that question)!
Thank you so much for you comment – I’m very flattered 🙂
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I love your blog. I’m new to it too. I’m just struggling to find the time to sit down and write something useful.
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Thanks, Teresa! I’ve just followed you – looking forward to your first post 🙂
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I’m going to bed now, but I am laughing, really laughing. Your words were just great. Hit the spot! They were true too. Thank you for being so uniquely you and sharing!
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Thanks, Penny! More inspiration please 🙂 I’m loving it!
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My hubby is so thrilled that I love blogging, because now I can’t complain when he sits on his computer for hours on end. I know what you mean about the “dinner” call. Blogging would be a great way of dieting if I didn’t have a hungry man in the house. 😆
Now you just need to put a “follow me by e-mail” button in your sidebar, like I have. 😉
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I was just chatting with another blogger about the ‘follow’ and managing email thingys! So new to this that I’m still fumbling my way around. I’ll have to go back to my ‘widgets’ and find it the follow me button – thank you so much for the suggestion 🙂
PS – How did you do the talking mouth emoticon?
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Blogging has already, in two weeks, become something special to me. I liked reading about how it has for you as well. I laughed at some of the consequences you listed, dogs famous huh? I thought that was funny and totally pictured them asking you for the finer things in life now.
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Thank you for commenting! I’m glad you liked the dog thing (I did a guest blog recently about my dogs).
I’m really glad your blog is special as well! Looking forward to reading more of how you’re progressing with ‘In the Shadow of Eidolons’
🙂
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Thanks. It seems everything about writing is special to me. I am loving this stuff more than I could have ever imagined.
All of these peopel I’m meeting and communicating with. All of us are at some stage of this journey and a lot that I’m talking with here on wordpress are in the same boat as me or just ahead or just behind where I’m at.
It’s amazing stuff. Soon, we might all be published and be bumping into each other at Cons and stuff. But I get ahead of myself.
Thanks for checking my stuff out.
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I only started blogging a few weeks ago and am still learning about all the things we can do with our blog. Widgets are great! As a fellow Aussie, I look forward to your action shots with the roos 😛
There are so many great blogs and great people in this community. So many blogs, too litlle time!!! Kat 🙂
I noticed you are following my blogs. I hope you find them interesting.
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Thank you for commenting! I think you’re journey’s an interesting one. I love The Plan to do something to make yourself happy every day. Wonderful 🙂
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Thanks for following my blog, Dianne! You have some interesting posts here and I look forward to catching up on what I have missed. And yeah, sure! I’m following you as well.
Best
Suhail
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Thank you, Suhail. Thank you for following and best of luck with ‘Living with Smoke’ and your poetry 🙂
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Thanks for following me Dianne! I love your blog! I am new to WordPress as well. I am really enjoying it so far! I found myself laughing at your post because my husband does the same thing…Hello? Did you hear me? Sometimes I get a little wrapped up in the blogging sphere as well! 🙂 I love all of the ways in which blogging allows us to connect with fellow writers too. The sense of community is great! Keep writing. I can’t wait to see what else you come up with!
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Thank you so much! I’m glad you responded to my comment on your post. If you know another author has been published and the publishers are good – that’s fantastic. Congratulations! Shout it to the world when your book comes out 😀
Do you have an author page on FB? If so, let me know so I can follow you there as well.
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Welcome! I’m going to be keeping an eye on your blog. I haven’t had any dodgy comments yet…we’ll see.
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Thank you – and you’ve been on here for a lot longer than I have, so that gives me a lot of assurance!
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Thats a good reason to not have a husband…All that repeating…hahahaha
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I don’t mind – as long as there’s food involved – 🙂
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We started at the same time and follow each other. We’re like blogging sisters! 😀 I’m so glad I found you. I hope we both have tons of fun (and I can’t wait for the kangaroo pics…they’re like big squirrels!)
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Blogging sisters – I love it!!!!
Just like big squirrels – but if you get in their way they’ll take you down 🙂 🙂
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Big blogging squirrels with bushy tails. 😀
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Everything looks better with a chart in it. I want to learn how to do that.
Kris
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Thank you, Kris! Next time it will be bigger so we can see exactly what it says 🙂
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Hey Dianne,
Good post, gave me a good chuckle at several spots, always nice on a Monday! 🙂 Anyway, best of luck on your travels and with your new iphone, hope to see those kanga pictures soon.
Cheers!
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Thanks for dropping by again! The kanga pictures will be hopping all over my pages:)
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Hi Dianne,
I probably never took the time to tell you, how much your work means to me. I have nominated you for being an inspiration..
Regards
BC
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I have a friend, who for years, told me I need to write with my photos and do a book. I’m not so much into the book writing thing, but love blogging. And seeing the world through the eyes of others. Love this post of yours!
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Thank you, Suzan! Blogging is a lot of fun 🙂
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You’re so popular! My blog has certainly not taken off like this in a month, but then again, I’m not an accomplished author either. =) I still haven’t figured out widgets. But that Akismet is nifty, isn’t it? I, too, know the feeling of lurking on my favorite blogs, just waiting for something new to be posted. Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I love having a new reader! (I think I have 7 now. LOL!)
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Thank you! I’m half way through reading “My mother is a badass, the Olympics are awesome, and I have purple hair” and will comment this afternoon when I finish work. I really want to read it now but yucky work awaits!
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Great post. Blogging is addictive isn’t it? It’s amazing how well your blog has taken off in such a short space of time, really shows how good a writer you are 😀 Your blog has just become one of the ones I’ll be waiting on for a new post 🙂
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Thank you – we have some things in common – I use Wii fit as well – totally love it!
I’m looking forward to following your journey as well.
Thank you so much for dropping in to my site 🙂
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Hey there! I just wanted to say thank you for watching my blog– I always appreciate when people take the time to read my posts, and I’m happy you enjoyed what I’ve written! I really enjoy your blog posts so far, too, and look forward to reading more.
As someone who has been blogging for a few years now, I can definitely relate to your process of getting used to WordPress. It’ll come, don’t worry! 😉
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Thank you! I’ve been really enjoying it (just got to the quiche post and am still laughing about your eggy hatred)!
And thank you so much for giving me assurance as a seasoned blogger – excellent 🙂
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I don’t hear my husband either once I get on the blog stuff. I’m addicted to the emoticons myself, though I stick to the same three because I’m usually too lazy to check out a page I bookmarked that has a whole bunch of them 😆
If you’re interested, here’s the page: http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Smilies
Hope this doesn’t get rejected as spam!
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Woo Hoo! Thank you!
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Just be glad your hubby doesn’t say “Where’s my dinner?” haha! Very funny post. And I could go for some fresh steak… does that make me a dog?
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Hubby loves cooking (thank god!)
Lol – the dogs will love you for saying that. They think they’re peoples 😀
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Yeah so do mine! They get angry if they don’t get any steak, get pushed off the bed, and don’t generally get their way. lol
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Just like kids!
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Fantastic, I love your thoughts on blogging that sound so familiar to me…hmm…:)
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It’s amazing when you start just how many people are in the blogging world and loving it (and trying to get used to it!)
Thank you, Sunshine (I love that name) 🙂
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Thanks! 🙂
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OMG I loved this!!!! I seriously can’t think of anything more intelligent to say at the moment. I think I am awed by your prowess in sarcasm and wit and I am thus left speechless. ^_^
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Thank you – totally flattered now!
Is that your tattoo on your page? It really caught my eye because I was nearly going to use a picture like that on the cover of my novel Wolf Pear! What a great image it is 🙂
Thank you for dropping by and best of luck with your blog – I’m following you and looking forward to reading more 🙂
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LOL! Loved this. Ok, I’ve been trying to resist following so many blogs because I need time to read and blog on my own site….but can’t resist your writing. FOLLOW! L.
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Many thanks!
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I love your sense of humor and whimsy! Your blogs rock!
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Thanks, Doug! I love your writings and poetry 🙂
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see now, I have to hop on your crazy wagon, having too much fun 😛 thanks for visiting my blog coz it led me here!
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My pleasure! Loving your blog too 🙂
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Oh yes how the blogging world opens your mind to new things. I guess for me it’s finding people I can relate to. That I can also support with my so called wisdom… Lol.
Also thanks for the follow not too long ago. I hope to keep you entertained with my stories. 🙂
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Thanks, Angel! I’m liking what I see on your blog. Keep up the great work 🙂
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Thanks heaps 🙂
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You are busier with your blog, among other things, than I am. I’m impressed! Btw, my dog doesn’t try to climb on the keyboard, but when she bumps my arm with her nose (to get my attention), she sends the cursor up and off the screen.
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Hahaha! Dogs are good like that! 😀
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Great post! I too have just discovered blogs and I’m completely hooked. My husband never asks about dinner, but he does always repeat that it’s time to turn the computer off 🙂 When you figure out those widgets, let me know!
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Oh, Aimee – it took me ages to figure out the widgets. I eventually got all my books down the right side of my page (with much hair pulling) 🙂
Thanks for dropping by!
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Love ‘do you want dinner – are you laughing or crying.’ part! I’ve definitely been tuned out more often since blogging… or maybe tuned in more often?
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Hahaha – he still does it. But now he say’s ‘can you hear me?’ and then I snap out of it. There are so many fantastic blogs out there that I get caught up in! 😀
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Heehee! I feel exactly the same. And I, too, love Askismet. God bless it.
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I think I’m up to about 300 spam now. Some of them are hilarious! I might put the best ones in a blog someday 😀
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