About the Blogger

Hey!  I'm Maggie, and I'm so excited that you're here!
For realz.  Look at that face.  I'm pretty excited.
Thank you so much for stopping by my creative nook of the internet!  Let's sit down and get to know each other a bit, shall we?  I'll tell you a few things about myself, and then you can tell me a little about yourself in the comments below!

My Faith
First of all, I want to tell y'all that I am a Christian, because that is what defines me, not whatever I talk about on my blog.  I believe that Jesus came to save sinners, and that one day He will come back to judge the living and the dead.  Because of Jesus, I have new life, and I don't have to worry about being dirty and sinful before God, because He has already paid the price for my sin.  My identity does not rest in my body, or my family, or even my crafting.  It rests in Jesus Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone.  Hallelujah!

One of my favorite verses is Galatians 2:20, which says: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

I go to an Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, NC.  Go OPC!

My Family
I come from a family of ten people.  Oh yeah.  Ten people living under one roof (though some have moved out now).  I have seven siblings, and I'm number five.  This how it goes: girl, boy, girl, girl, girl, girl, girl, boy.  ( I could say that ten times fast with my eyes closed.  ..."Nooo, really?")  Yep, that's right - out of eight kids, only two are boys.  It can get pretty crazy at times.  By the way, I'm not the only one in the Groover family to have a blog - four of my sisters have 'em too!  Check them out here, here, here, and here.

Now, here are just a few family pictures.  Because I like pictures.

In the first picture I was probably two years old, so it would have been 2001.  That's me in Daddy's arms.  Mommy was pregnant with the youngest bro in the second.  And I was six!  The third was 2013 I believe, around Christmas time.  Aaand, the last was taken this past June, at Katie Buff's gradiation ceremony.  Which was mucho exciting by the way.  The shadows are kind of weird; sorry about that.  And if you are perhaps wondering why I look a little...crazy, it was because it was super hot that day, and I was kind of squished, and I had been flipping my hair all over the place beforehand.
That's me!  (Not the bald one.)
(Oh.  We're both bald here.)
Daddy is an airline pilot, which I think is a pretty cool job, don't you?  Mommy doesn't have a "real job" like that, but she has been a homeschool mom of eight kids.  I think that's a good enough job.  Together, they've loved and nurtured each and every one of us until the ripe age of oldness, when it's time to move out.  And then they still do some loving and nurturing.

I also hope to be a wife and mother someday, in addition to blogging.  For now though, blogging will do just fine on it's own!

My Schooling
As you might expect from a family with eight kids,we were all homeschooled all the way through Highschool.

I am seventeen now, and currently the oldest one still in Highschool.  I'm not quite sure what I want to do after I graduate, but my hope right now is to blog full time and hopefully make an income off of that.

My Red Hair (Yes, It Needs a Whole Section To Itself)
The feature I'm most proud of is my bright red hair.  If you were to meet me for the first time, probably the first thing you'd notice is my hair.  Five of the eight kids have red hair, all different shades.  Mine is the darkest, and closest to real red.  You couldn't pay me to change my hair color!  If I didn't have red hair, I wouldn't take as many pictures of myself.  Heh.  It always makes me happy to see a stranger with red hair.  And then I have a little bonding moment with them.  In my head.  We got our red hair from Daddy, who lost his long ago.  Woot REDHEADS!

My oldest brother wasn't present for this picture, but you can see the five shades of red here.
It looks duper red here.  :)
Why I Blog
Here's a shell I drew in art last year.  I'm mucho proud of it.
So, you may be wondering how or why I got into blogging.  Well, I've been a creative soul for as long as I can remember.  Let's go way back to when I was six.  That's when I started taking art classes at the Sunflower Studio from Miss Linda.  I haven't missed one year since.  This year (2015 - 2016) is my eleventh year.  You could say that's what sparked my creativity (Miss Linda has certainly played a huge role).  However, I am inclined to think otherwise.

I remember two or three years ago, a lady at my church told me that I drew her a picture when I was about four, and she said it was good for a four year old.  Artistic talent runs in the family, so I must have picked it up at a very young age.
Anywho, I'm still telling you how I got into blogging, aren't I?  I started this blog in October of 2014, after family members kept telling me I should start one.  I wasn't intending, at first, to make it primarily a craft blog.  I didn't really know what I was going to do with it.  I only knew that it would feature my artwork; I didn't think that's all it would be for.  But, that's all I ended up writing about at the beginning, and I'm all about being consistent!  Just so you know though, I might throw in some posts on other topics too, every once in a while.

How I Got Into Cardmaking
I started making cards so that I could use them for writing letters, and never stopped.  I remember asking Daddy once why I never got any letters, and he told me that I have to send letters to others in order to get letters back.  I've never forgotten that.  Over the years, I've made innumerable cards and written innumerable letters.  With lots of practice, my skills as a card maker have steadily increased.

Things I Enjoy Doing Other Than Crafting
  • Singing - It's an understatement to simply say I enjoy singing.  I LOVE to sing, just as much as I love to craft and make things.  You can see one of my videos here, if you like (still super excited about that).  The majority of my awake time I'm either singing or humming (sometimes during my asleep time too!).  I also just love music in general.  It is truly a beautiful thing.
  • Photography - I don't own a fancy camera [update: I do now!], but I do like to experiment with my little point-and-shoot Nikon Coolpix.
  • Decluttering/organizing! - "What?  Decluttering is suppose to be for moms!"  True...hum, well, I feel like a mom in many ways.  You know, minus the kids.  I like things like that.  It makes me happy to have SPACE!  Ahh, SPACE!  I love it!
  • Playing With Kiddos - So, even though I don't have any kids of my own, I do love kids.  So much.  Kids are my life.  I get so much joy from simply watching kids play.  They seem to flock to me, and I think that's because I'm still a kid!  In many, many...many ways.  Haha, just ask my siblings!
  • Letter Writing - If there was an award for letter writing, I could probably win it.  Maybe.  I've been a real slacker at times.  But believe it or not, blogging has helped me get back on track.  It's so exciting to open up the mailbox after a long walk up the driveway and find a hand-written letter addressed to me.  Don't you feel the same way?
Random Interesting Things About Me
  • If you know me personally, you may be aware that I have a hard time being photographed without making some wacko face.
  • I love to improvise!  I'm also a cheapskate, so if I don't have something I need for a project, chances are I'll try to find some other way to get it done, instead of going to the store and buying stuff.
  • Whenever I eat chips, I eat the broken ones first.  And of course there are always broken chips, so it doesn't even feel right to eat whole chips.
  • I always save a Last Bite of salad (or anything else that has big obvious ingredients that are easy to set aside).  It should include one of each ingredient, except for the ones I don't like.  Mushrooms and olives, for example.  BLECH.  (Let me know if you do the same thing!  I love to bond with others on weird things we do!)
  • The Last Bite.  Dadadaaaaa.
  • I am an avid talker to self!  Heh.  People think I'm crazy sometimes...
  • I love odd numbers, and don't exactly take a liking to even numbers.  Some of my favorite numbers are 7, 11, and 13.  My least favorite number is 4.
  • My favorite music genre is country.  I love old, sad, slow, and sweet country.  All that together, not separate, usually.  My favorite song is all of those things together (listen to it and thank me later).  *SWOON SWOON*  I seriously dislike most new country.
  • I do not like cooking, except on those rare occasions where I find an easy recipe that I'd like to try, such as these delicious things.  Mmm, they were good.  I'm known in my family for drastically messing up a recipe, like when I accidentally put half a cup of salt in some chocolate chip cookies instead of half a teaspoon, or whatever it was.  Eheh.
  • I love to make lists!  Currently I have twelve lists up on my wall by my desk, and more elsewhere.  They range from supplies I'd like to have, to books I'd like to read, to things I'd like to do when I'm old and retired!  (literally, that's the name of one of 'em.)
  • SHARPIIIEEES!  I love sharpies mucho much!  As of now, I own 78 sharpies.  Seventy-eight.  And that's after losing some (including my favorite - extra fine gray-blue).  If you count each sharpie in the picture below, you won't count all 78 (er, unless you're really bad at counting...) because I only got a picture of the ones I keep in my sharpie bag.
  • I heart my sharpies.
  • I absolutely love to just write stuff down.  I think it's largely because I like my handwriting, but also simply the fact that writing just feels so good.  By that, I don't mean writing a story or an essay (blech) or even blog posts all the time - I mean the act of literally just jotting down words - notes, doodles, ideas, lists, schedules, things I need to remember...you get the point.  I love to write.
  • I am an outgoing introvert (at least I consider myself one) and my personality type is adventurer.  This is totally me.  What personality type are you?
  • I don't like homework (well duh), but I tend to get mostly As anyway.   I'm a perfectionist, so it bothers me to not get the best grade I can, but man, do I hate it sometimes!
A Few Of My Favorite Things
A picture is worth a thousand words, right?  (Absolutely.)

My Pop Posts
In case you're new to my blog, here are my top five (most visited) posts for you to check out!
 And just because, here's a list of five of the funnest (I'm going to use that word and you can't stop me) posts I've written.  I tried to make them in order of how fun they were to write, but it was hard to decide on which was my favorite.  Just go with the flow.  Dude.
And There You Have It!
Yes, that's me!
Now that I've told you way too much about myself, feel free to comment your own thoughts!  Where do you resonate?  Where do you differ?  What weird things can you bond with me on?  I'll do my best to reply to every comment, so don't be shy!

I hope you've enjoyed getting to know me a little better.  Thanks so much for stopping by!







22 comments:

  1. Maggie! Wow, I think this wins the award for the best "About" page I've ever read. You had me gripped at every turn with each new tidbit and fun fact. You've done such a beautiful job here of letting us into your life and also inviting us into your Butterfly Kisses community. (I think YOU should have written the post on how to revamp your "About" page, ha ha.) My favorite part is your section dedicated to your red hair! And I had no idea you were part of such a huge, dynamic family. How cool! And so many bloggers, too. ;-) Also, I nodded my head profusely at your "outgoing introvert" personality type because I am the exact same way. And now I can't wait to click on the many links you've tucked into this post. So. Much. Maggie. Goodness. Thank you for sharing! I can't wait till the next Reader Showcase comes around so I can show it off!

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    1. Lauren, your comments always make my day! You really think so? Wowwwie woo! For realz?! I'm so glad you were "gripped" - I was afraid I was boring people to death!
      Haha, I'm honored you say that, but you did a wonderful job on the revamping your "About" page post. I got some ideas for mine from that very post, as I believe I've told you before. :)
      Oh yes, I liked that part too. I am quite proud of our large variety of red hair.
      Ooh, I hope I didn't put too many links in. I didn't even think of it until you mentioned it, and you make it sound like a good thing! I can't wait for the reader Showcase either! Eek!

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  2. Hey Maggie!!

    Singing- I love to sing too!! (Not that I am very good at it, sometimes it is pretty painful to hear......)
    I don't like mushrooms or olives, either!!
    I talk to myself ALL THE TIME, mostly about my books, or I imagine that I am talking to someone.
    I also narrate my life and the actions of everyone around me in my head and sometimes I accidentally say it out loud.....
    I almost forgot to say, we go to an OPC church, too!!
    While old country music is not my favorite, I will listen to it occasionally. I like wordless, slow, calming, soothing, classical music like the Phantom of the Oprah or How To Train Your Dragon. (I know HTTYD is not exactly slow all the time, but I love it still.)
    I love to cook. And garden.
    I write books.
    I am NOT an introvert in the least. I am usually quiet (unless I am around my best friend to whom I tell almost everything.) I like corners. They are my friends. So is salad.
    I am also a perfectionist in some ways. I have 5 siblings. I am second to youngest. Three are grown up and moved out.
    My dad does glass work and my mom stays home.
    I like to organize but not so much declutter.
    I do not like pictures much at all. I have never had a great smile. It's always cheesy.
    My favorite subject is reading or science. Someday I want to be a marine biologist.
    My favorite game is Speed.
    My favorite season is spring.
    Fav color- lime green. Then dark purple.
    I think that you and I might be very distantly related. I am finding a lot that we agree on.....
    Lillian

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    1. Hey Lillian!
      How cool! Haha, I can assure that my singing on occasion has been painful to other's ears too. ;)
      Woot! They're disgusting, right?
      Oh man, I do it ALL THE TIME too! About...everything.
      Yes, I knew that already because Julie has told me! I love it!
      Ooh, I like Phantom of the Opera too! I was planing to sing something from PotO this year at BWSC, but I decided to do something different instead.
      Ooh, cooking and gardening. Two things I am not so find of. It's cool that you like them though! Id love to love to garden, but I don't really like plants and all the sneezing they make me do.
      Neat! My sister writes books too, and loves it. I've never been one to love writing stories, or anything school related...
      Don't you mean you are an introvert then? I'm an introvert, which means I'm quiet and shy, but I'm also outgoing. Heheh, yes I like salad too.
      Cool! Perfectionist bond! That's neat - I like big families.
      Whoa, glass work seems like a really cool job! I don't of many people who do it.
      I love both organizing and decluttering, but I think I might like decluttering more! Or at least I might be better at it...I totally understand not liking it though.
      Heh, ooh, I know, my smiles can be mucho cheesy at times too!
      That would be interesting I'm sure. Marine biology seems like it would would be very interesting if you like that sort of thing. I suppose anything could be interesting if you're interested in it though!
      Hmm, I don't know (or remember) what Speed is. It's not a video game, is it?
      Yeah, I like Spring too. I don't like the allergies though. They're the big reason it's not my favorite season instead of Fall.
      Yesss, I love purple. My second favorite would have to b dark teal.
      Haha, We just might be! I would really like to meet you someday!

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  3. Hey Maggie!!

    Singing- I love to sing too!! (Not that I am very good at it, sometimes it is pretty painful to hear......)
    I don't like mushrooms or olives, either!!
    I talk to myself ALL THE TIME, mostly about my books, or I imagine that I am talking to someone.
    I also narrate my life and the actions of everyone around me in my head and sometimes I accidentally say it out loud.....
    I almost forgot to say, we go to an OPC church, too!!
    While old country music is not my favorite, I will listen to it occasionally. I like wordless, slow, calming, soothing, classical music like the Phantom of the Oprah or How To Train Your Dragon. (I know HTTYD is not exactly slow all the time, but I love it still.)
    I love to cook. And garden.
    I write books.
    I am NOT an introvert in the least. I am usually quiet (unless I am around my best friend to whom I tell almost everything.) I like corners. They are my friends. So is salad.
    I am also a perfectionist in some ways. I have 5 siblings. I am second to youngest. Three are grown up and moved out.
    My dad does glass work and my mom stays home.
    I like to organize but not so much declutter.
    I do not like pictures much at all. I have never had a great smile. It's always cheesy.
    My favorite subject is reading or science. Someday I want to be a marine biologist.
    My favorite game is Speed.
    My favorite season is spring.
    Fav color- lime green. Then dark purple.
    I think that you and I might be very distantly related. I am finding a lot that we agree on.....
    Lillian

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  4. Heya Maggie,
    I feel we're going to be good friends already. Or, at least, I'd like to- how about you? Your blog is absolutely brilliant. And thank you so much for your darling comment on mine, it made my morning.
    Your family looks wonderful. I love, love finding other girls that live in big families and home school, we already have a lot in common. I am into crafting and art too, I especially love drawing. Also, YOUR HAIR. I want want want it. Wow.

    I look forward to us getting to know each other more ♥

    -T. x

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    1. Yes! I definitely would love to be friends with you! Eee, this is very exciting. Your comment here made my afternoon!
      I also love finding other girls that I relate to on so many points. It's something special, alright. :)
      Well thank you! I lerve my family. They crack me up! I'd love to meet your family too! That's so cool that you're into arts and crafts also. Do you ever share your projects on your blog?
      Haha, thanks. I like it too. ;)

      Catch you later!

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  5. WELLLLLL This is pretty much the best about page ever. People who are good at talking about themselves are my favorite.

    Ugh, SOOOO jelly of your fantabulous hair. Seriously. Mine is just *barely* a pathetic shade of auburn.

    However, I must say, you eat chips all wrong. You're supposed to find all the most perfect chips and eat those first. And THEN eat all the broken little pieces in one handful. XD

    OTHER THAN THAT you have a very charming blog, so don't be creeped out if I go and comment on all your posts, even the old ones. :P

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    1. Wow, what a compliment! Thank you so much Becca! I wouldn't say I'm great at talking about myself, but I don't mind doing it. Heheh, something I wouldn't consider such a good thing. :P

      I do love my hair...glad you like it too!

      Haha! Well, to each his (er, I mean her) own, I suppose! I shall continue to eat chips in my own way, and you can continue in your own way! XD

      Thank you so much for the compliments, and now I shall go look at your blog! Toodles!

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  6. I am so glad to have found your blog, it is perfectly charming.

    Ava, http://landofquiet.blogspot.com

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    1. I'm so glad you found it too! Thanks for stopping by Ava!

      P.S. I'm stopping by your blog now too!

      Delete
  7. Hey Maggie! I love your blog! And your hair is gorgeous! =D
    ~Katie
    http://concealedfoundation.com/

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    1. Thank you Katie (2x)! I'm stopping by your blog now, and I really like it!

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    2. I know, right? Katie's blog is awesome! It's how I found yours! :-) And I found Concealed Foundation through Majestic Golden Rose at www.majesticgoldenrose.weebly.com, also a great blog.
      Elle

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  8. LOVE YOUR BLOG. I just loveee crafts. Do you do watercolor? <3 <3 You totally have the most gorgeous hair.

    trustinginthelorddaybyday.blogspot.com

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    1. Eep, thank you so much Sarah! Crafts are my love. Yes, I DO watercolor! Many of my posts are related to watercolors, because I LOVE them so much! Haha, thanks. :) I've been striving to eliminate my pride on the subject of my hair. It comes from God - I didn't do a thing to get it! But thank you! And thanks for commenting! I'm doing the same over on your blog right now!

      Delete
  9. Hi Maggie!
    Okay, WARNING this is going to be long. Sorry! H
    I am Catholic, and I think it's wonderful that you are so excited about your faith! There are too few kids who love their faith, so thank you for being a shining example.

    I know just how you feel! Haha, I have 11 siblings. I am also the fifth child! BIG FAMILIES ARE THE BEST (and worst, just kidding:D) EVER!!!!!!
    We go: girl, girl, girl, boy, girl, girl, girl, girl, girl, boy, girl and boy. Yah, only three boys, so I know how you feel.
    My dad is a carpenter and mum is also a stay-at-home mom. We homeschool too, HOORAY FOR HOMESCHOOLERS!!!!
    I'm fifteen.
    Gosh girl, that hair!!! I have wanted red hair my whole life! And yours is sooooo red!!!!! Sorry, I'm done freaking out.

    I love to draw! Drawing, and painting! I can't decide what kind of paints I prefer... I dabble with all sorts.

    Yor cards are beautiful! I wish I had the inclination and supplies to do something like that but life just hasn't turned out that way.

    Singing!!! We are kindred spirits!!! Oh goodness, my siblings complain a how much I sing- but I just can't stop!! My sister teases that I am the soundtrack to her life. I always have a random playlist going in my head, and almost always on my lips. You have a gorgeous voice! Great job on that song.

    I also like photography but don't have my own camera... sniff sniff... I steal - wait what? I meant borrow *nervous chuckling* my sisters camera.

    I can't say I like organizing too much but I don't mind it.

    I love kids!! I just love them. Their playing, talking, sleeping, walking, EVERYTHING. Anywhere and everywhere you see me, I will be the one holding a baby.

    I love to letter write too! I love receiving letters... oh the thrill!!!

    Hahaha, I eat small chips first. I just can't eat whole, big ones first!

    I like even numbers better, but I agree, four is just.... bleh.

    I love cooking!!

    Ooh, sharpies!!! I like them too! Your collection looks magnificent.

    Favorite song- Into The West, credit song for The Return of the King
    Favorite subject(s)- Liturature and Art
    Favorite game- em... probably ninja (not a card game) or golf (card game)
    Favorite hymn? Agh! Too many to choose from! Or list!
    Favorite season- YAY!!! I'm a fall lover too
    Favorite pattern- never really thought about it... probably something wavy
    Favorite colors- midnight blue, pale green, silvery green
    Favorite drink- Tea, vanilla chai

    You are so cool girl! I am totally following your blog.
    ~E
    AKA Your Friend in the Yellow Shirt

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    1. Heheh, well, I guess I should expect to get long comments with an About page so long!
      My faith is literally the most important thing about m, and it is what defines me, so I should hope I'm excited about it! :)

      I agree! I love big families!

      Cool! I'm friends with many people who are younger than me, so I expect we would mesh well.

      Haha, well thanks. :) I love my hair. I'm trying to not get puffed up about it though.

      Yay for art!

      I can hardly go ten minutes without singing! Except for when I'm sleeping, and even then, I have music in my head!

      Heheh. Hopefully she doesn't mind you stealing - I mean borrowing - her camera! Photography is great.

      You wouldn't know I liked organizing by looking at my desk, but I do. It's hard sometime though, and I understand not enjoying it.

      Yep! Kids are wonderful. I totally get everything you said abut them, even though it sounds sort of creepy/stalkerish, but it's not actually! And yep, I'm seen holding a baby/kissing someone small most of the time when I'm at church.

      Ah, letter writing is the best! I love it so much!

      Yay! Someone who does the same weird thing!

      Yeah. Four is bleh.

      Oh good! I've actually grown to like it more. I cook myself eggs every morning, so I like to experiment with it.

      Ah, thank you! Sharpies are super handy!

      Ooh, I like that one!
      Nice! I like art, obviously. Not so much Literature, but it's okay sometimes.
      I like Ninja too! I don't know the other game.
      I understand! There are so many good ones!
      WOOT. I LOVE FALL.
      Yeah, chevron isn't really my favorite anymore. It was kind of a phase. But I still like it. I also like herringbone, which is similar.
      Ooh, those sound lovely! I really like dark colors, which is sort of weird, because that's not what my personality is! But dark colors are the most beautiful, I think.
      I don't drink tea much, but it's nice sometimes! That sounds yum.

      Yay, thank you so much! Thanks for your comment! :D

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  10. Hi Maggie! I just found your blog, and I love your About page; we have so much in common! Let me just start by saying im a 17 year old Christian girl blogger in a family of 6 daughters and 2 sons. And I plan to make an income from my blog too. And we homeschool! And I have red hair, but not as bright as yours. I love letters, and have a couple pen pals, but one who I wrote to most often. I'm an ENFP (campaigner) and definitely an improviser! And it's funny, cause I call myself a shy extrovert. :) your sea shell drawing is really good! I don't really draw. Well anyways have a nice day!
    Laura @ flowersinmybasket.blogspot.com

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    1. And are you Calvinists? (Cause you go to an OPC) We don't go to an OPC but we are Calvinists.just wondering(: cause I don't really know any other girls who are.

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    2. Heheh, I need to update that...I'm eighteen now! But that's so cool that we have so much in common! Like especially the number of siblings! And the fact that we're both Calvinists (yes, I am a Calvinist)! Writing letters is the beeest. :) Thanks you so much for the comment, Laura! Checking out your blog now!

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I love comments, so please do comment! The more the merrier! I try to reply to every one. Please remember to be respectful, kind, lovable, and huggable!