Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Spring Musings....



There's not much Spring going on outside my windows so I have forced myself to try and bring some inside. I actually just took the winter décor off of my front porch. The calendar says Spring but I can't say that "Spring is in the air" yet.


We are living in a sea of brown, bare and dirty.  Whatever is green has been all winter. No new green anywhere yet. The beginning of Spring is not so pretty in Upstate NY.





My new black patent rain boots are waiting patiently by the side porch door, ready to get dirty in the garden.


I should have had them on when I went scouting for thistles to fill a basket. I got the thistles on the side of the road, along with a few thorns in my fingers and one foot ankle deep in the swampy brush.
 



My Spring/Easter decorating includes vintage, of course, and lots of bunnies that hibernate all winter in the many cupboards around my home. When they come out to play, they hang out mostly in the parlor (the cranberry/pink room) and my dining room.


I am always delighted when I coax them out of their deep sleep to rediscover what I have. Some just cannot wake up!



This White Rabbit is reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland, a story that I have always loved. My husband bought him for me years ago and Mr. Rabbit was just recently found hiding in the dining room closet.



I changed my mantel for Spring, moving all but one of the pictures of my family to another cupboard top and added some vintage books and architectural pieces, including the paned window I found at a yard sale last summer for $5. The crown candleholder is from Antique Farmhouse.


Of course the mantel had to include a bunny.....my pink mercury glass bunny, a thrift store find.



My bunny banner is from an Etsy seller a few years ago.



The bunnies are hand cut out of thin wood and arrive separate from the string. You string them yourself and hang them however you want to.


This pretty Granny Square lap throw is a recent thrift store find. The colors just say Spring. It is available here.


The first picture is of my dining room centerpiece. It is hand made out of a crystal pedestal and a square metal pan. I filled it with a nest from my yard, eggs I painted aqua, my small lantern and more bunnies including a vintage flocked bunny and a metal chocolate mold. This is a closer look.


and the back.....


The sun is out today and our temps are supposed to rise to around 50 by the end of the week and weekend.

Yup, we are still wearing winter coats and scarves and warm boots.

I have Spring in my heart though!


AnnMarie xoxo

I am linking up with these fun blog parties:




Best of the Weekend

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Do You Reply?

Been thinking about the comment and reply part of blogging and get the feeling it's changed.


Again.



This post is NOT about being a no-reply comment blogger....there are tons of articles and tutorials out there to fix that.

It's about whether or not you reply to the comments you receive on your blog.

So I am just wondering....what is the latest protocol?

When I first started blogging it was all about following each other and listing in your comment all the ways you just followed that person....bloglovin', pinterest, facebook....etc.

Then I noticed that when I left a comment, the blogger not only replied to it but visited my blog in return. I adopted this practice because I thought it was a great thing to do to connect with others and do all that networking stuff.

Unless you came up as a no-reply comment blogger. Then I couldn't.

There are a handful of bloggers that reply consistently to all my comments....

.......some visit in return...

.......there are some that used to reply and don't anymore.....

.......and there are a lot that never did.

I guess it is that middle one that makes me wonder if the protocol has changed. That maybe now it's not the "thing" to do....reply to a comment on your blog.
And of those that reply to my comments, some NEVER visit me back. I am not sure why and it hurts a little when I see their comments on all the other blogs I visit.

I may never know why but for me, I just don't want to clog up someone's email with my comments that they will most likely delete.

But that's just it.



It's those reply comments that has helped me create friendships with other bloggers by chatting back and forth via email.

We have traded recipes and links, sympathized, offered prayers, and just plain wished each other a great day or weekend.


I understand the busyness of everyday life. If that is it, that's fine.


I purposely don't post on my blog when I know I may not be able to respond to comments, post in the blog parties and then visit all of those blogs, although I love doing that. I find so many great recipes and ideas at those parties, and a lot of new blogs to follow.


But you have to have the time.


So, has something changed?


Or is everyone just busy with life?


Is it just me?


Just wondering....


P.S. I don't mind at all if you don't reply by email to my comments, but I always welcome a visit to my blog!


AnnMarie xoxo


I am linking up with these fun blog parties:
Share Your Cup
No Rules Weekend Blog Party
Best of the Weekend