Happy Anniversary to my blog!!!

It's here...the one-year mark for my blog. I thank all of you who made such very nice comments to me yesterday about this. It is hard for me to imagine my life without so many of you in it.......blogging has given me so many new friends and that, to me, has been the best part of my blogging experience. There were times I was sad, and you lifted me up with your prayers and your comments and emails. There were times when I was happy and you shared in my joy. Through you, I was once again reminded of the old proverb that says: "Shared joy is a double joy; and shared sorrow is half a sorrow." I have non-blogging friends who don't understand how this is possible....that people you haven't met in person can become so close to your heart. BUT.....I can't fault them, because if someone had told me (one year and one day ago) that I would gain several very close friends just because of my blog, I'd not have thought that to be possible, either. It has happened, though, and I am grateful for all of you who have reached out to me...some from nearby who I will, hopefully, be able to meet...and some from across many miles, with whom I will, regrettably, probably never have direct contact. Blogging has made the very large world of quilters and crafters become a smaller world to me.....a tight-knit community, and I look forward to many more shared experiences with you, my friends.At the end of today, I will be tallying up the entries for my annniversary giveaway. Those of you who have gotten to know me quite well know that I had a bad experience early in my blogging days of giving away two prizes to people who only surfed around looking for giveaways. One never let me know if the prize arrived to her....and neither of them has ever visited my blog again. (And I can assure you it is NOT because I gave them lousy prizes.....they were really NICE prizes!!!) Since that time, I have had my giveaways just for people who visit my blog on their own...without being sent here to enter a giveaway. This giveaway is the same.....and I am going to give entries as follows: I am counting back since Nov. 7....2 weeks prior to this anniversary date. I have logged all the comments. For those who commented once, you will get 1 entry. Those who commented between 2 and 5 times, will get double that, which means they will each get 2 entries. Keeping up with that doubling policy, folks who commented between 6 and 10 times, will get 4 entries. And those who commented more than 11 times (and there were several, I'm happy to say), will get 8 entries. If there are any who commented EVERY day in that time period, I will send you a small token in the mail as a thank-you for being "here" with me so very often. Tomorrow I will announce the winner of the drawing...and the prize, too. Again...thanks from the bottom of my heart for all you have done for me....and all you have been to me over the past 365 days. Here's to Year # 2........and lots more shared projects and fun!!!