Some very important news for Bloggers you'd better read here now!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

A few announcements here for those of you who aren't aware:

You'll want to go visit my Pinterest page as I now have over 8,300 photos on there that aren't on here yet. You'll not be soooorrrrry, I promise. ;-)

Then the biggest announcement is from Google: Google Reader will no longer be available starting July 1, 2013. I suppose you won't see it on any sidebar after that. That's a huge announcement for us bloggers who have followings. You'll no longer be able to find us on Google Reader or follow on Google Reader. It's going to be gone. We, in the blogging community, have been searching for other places to find and "store" the names of our favorite blogs. I've selected Bloglovin' and it looks pretty good, nothing like GR but it will do for me as I don't follow hundreds of blogs like some people do. I simply don't have time. You could just "bookmark" them on your browser but that won't tell you if there's an update on a blog; you'd just have to click to each one daily. That's a hassle I know but there's nothing to be done about it. It's very disappointing to us who have blogs as we won't be able to see who follows us but it's also disappointing to those of you who love to read updates on blogs. But with Bloglovin' I think that it will be able to do all Google Reader does: updates each new post, you can see followers if you're a blogger. AND I'd advise you to get busy on it immediately because if you have many blogs to follow, it just might take you a while to transfer them all over to the new application, especially if you're not computer savvy.

But Bloglovin' updates every single time you post and you'll recognize it on your browser, where an "add-on"(a little white cross on a blue background) is put up in the corner. So to join and follow or be followed just click on the button up on the right just above my About Me and it'll take you to Bloglovin' to follow me or to start using it for your own followers. Really quite simple. Here is a screenshot of my browser navigation bar but it's really very tiny. You can see it on the far right hand side with the red line I put on there to mark it for you to see. Very easy. That little cross will have a number in it for each that are updated that day.

I hope this helps you. I've tested many before deciding on this one. Some are, to me, a bit complicated. This one is easy.
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The other day hubs was home and answered the phone. I was in the potty and he brought it in to me sitting there. I told him I didn't talk on the phone while sitting on the toilet! There are some things I'd rather do in peace and quiet and not be bothered. I'm sure some of the teenagers and younger moms and dads do it as it's socially acceptable. It isn't to this woman! I want my privacy some places and the bath is one of them.
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Blog hopping the other day from my granddaughter's facebook page. She has designers and things that she would like for her house on her facebook page. I clicked on a few things but when I went to this one blogger who is a decorator for homes I noticed she had 87,000,000 hits on her page!!! 87 million. Biggest hits on a page I've ever seen. WOW.

Then I found some really popular blogs. Here are the numbers of the most popular blogs' followers. I'd hate to see how many "hits" their pages get.
117,043
147,321
155,818
165,288
172,502
256,793
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I love the color in this stair landing.

And in this living room.

I'd wish for an island like this one but hubs would then insist I cook more. Ain't happening, chicks!

A flower vignette with gorgeous blue bottles and containers.

Red is very "in" in this room. Love it.

Pretty entrance.

A gorgeous English garden and old stone home.

This is another gorgeous living room.

Pretty stone steps with violets.

More roses for ya!

I think this is a stunning photograph of zinnias.

Another gorgeous dining area in a lovely cottage.

And this one also!

A cute idea. Paint some old suitcases found at garage sales and stack them for a bedside table or a living room side table. I have done this before and loved it. Suitcases costs me from 50¢ up to $2.00 at garage sales. Very cheap.

My kind of porch or patio.

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Tidbit:
The Tennessee capitol building's architect is entombed within its northeast wall.

Tidbit:
Our state is #1!
 
K, L and M states

Kansas:
Helium manufacturing
Obsolete bridges still in use

Kentucky:
Horse breeding
Deaths from smoking

Louisiana:
Affordable hospitals
Gonorrhea and syphilis

Maine:
Youngest median age
Per capita rate of asthma

Maryland:
HIgh school students who take college-level courses
Movie bootlegging

Massachusetts:
Adults with college degrees
Government health care spending

Michigan:
Navy bean production
Unemployment

Minnesota:
Per capita rate of preventive colonoscopies
Tornadoes

Mississippi:
Wetland restoration and preservation projects
Obesity

Missouri:
Sport hunting
Meth labs

Montana:
Number of restaurants per capita
Drunk driving
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Linking up with NMH Open House Party.

I Love Bookstores

I thought I'd share the ottoman I've refurbished since I've ironed it. Looks great to me. I am very pleased with it now.

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A sweet fellow blogger, Claudia, did a post on bookstores recently. She and I are avid readers. I'd bet I read more than she reads though. But I read so much and am rarely without a book to read. Once I get down to 2 books left, I start visiting the local used bookstores or order on Amazon. Claudia was extolling the virtues of small or individually owned bookstores as opposed to the giants that dot our cities now. Frankly, I'll buy a book wherever I can find it, but I do love the 3 we have in our town that I visit. But since I may have read all the ones I'm interested in here in town I have to order online. But I love perusing bookstores and getting recommendations from the knowledgeable owners. It has opened my mind to a lot of books I may never have read had it not been for their recommendations. For instance, Janet Evanovich.

I had never read or heard of her until a man at Bent Corners Used Books mentioned her. The first book had me hooked. I went back and bought every single book of hers he had in stock. She is one of the funniest writers I've ever read. I laughed myself silly reading about Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter, and her sidekick, a former...uh...woman of the night. Hilarious!

I love Jeffrey Archer and have read every single book he's written so far. To me, he is the best writer alive who writes about different things. Most authors stick to one subject. Not him. He is a fantastic author.

Then there's David Baldacci, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben, James Patterson, Daniel Silva and a few more. But these are my favorites and I buy everything they write. But I digress.

There is nothing like going in to the one downtown here called Yesteryear Book Store. It looks like it may have been an old department store at one time because there are 2 levels. Actually, it's more of a mezzanine but it has books all over the place. There must be hundreds of thousands of books in there. So many that there are stacks on the floor even. I love going in there and the books are pretty cheap also. But I'll always read books I can hold in my hand to feel the paper. I doubt I'll ever succumb to e-books; I just love holding the book too much.

My go-to bookstore. Not very big but I can usually find 10 or 12 books in there to buy.

This one is in the basement of an old church but the books cost a bit more and it's hard to navigate around in there as you can see. I have a friend that works in there a few days a week and she helps me locate books, but I'd spend more money in that one than Bent Corners, which is very, very cheap.

This truly is the biggest supply of books I've ever seen. Our local library doesn't even come close to it in size or number of books. Actually, our town library is rather pathetic and there is parking for a very few cars only, just not worth the time going there.

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Now on to the beautiful photos.

 Apparently, a lot of people, me included, loved this fabric enough to make tea towels out of it.

It's pink, what can I say?!

Roses and laundry hanging on the line. My favorites. ;-)

Beautifully photographed close-up of a flower.

Pretty pin.

One of the most beautiful entry staircases I've ever seen.

Mexican foliage. Beautiful.

They're even doing these craft folded roses on haute couture now. Lovin' it!

Benches with pillows instead of chairs.

Prettily made up vignette.

Nice night for a picnic. :-)

And your favorite: French chateaux.

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Tidbit:
The Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered. Found in 1905, the original 3,100 carats were cut to make jewels for the British Crown Jewels and the British Royal Family's collection.
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