Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Happy Birthday to Me, & a Giveaway for You!

Today is another mid 30s birthday . . . or maybe late 30s.
When does it change from mid to late?!?!?!


I have decided to spend most of the day sewing--
I never go to work on my birthday!

This past week I cut up TONS of fabric,
getting ready to make a Swoon quilt.
(Have you seen the Swoon along on flickr?)


 I'm using a variety of Katie Jump Rope prints,
with Kona snow as the background.
I found lots of KJR at an amazing going out of business sale last spring,
when Digs moved from Northfield to Minneapolis.
I couldn't believe how much of this fabric line they still had!
 I made up the first of the 9 swoon blocks yesterday,
and realized that I have ALOT of fabric left!

So I'm giving some away!
The 4 prints on top are each 7 x 42 inch pieces,
and I'll throw in one yard of each of the dots!

I'll draw a winner on Friday the 13th.
To enter, leave a comment about a favorite birthday memory.
For a 2nd entry, let me know if you're a follower!

Happy Wednesday!
Linking up to:
WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

113 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday!! I'm not sure I could pick one favorite birthday memory. I've been so lucky to spend them with such wonderful family and friends!

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  2. Happy Birthday!!!
    My best birthday memory is from the birthday I got engaged. It was a total suprise, I had no idea he was ready to pop the question.

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  3. Enjoy your day! I am a follower.

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  4. Happy Birthday! My favorite memory was for my b-day in December, the hubs got me Transiberian Orchestra Tickets which I've been begging for for years!! It was great :)

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  5. Thank you for your generousity and happy birthday! It's great you can take the day off. My birthday is Dec 28 and I can never have it off b/c I have to be there to support year end sales for my job. But like you, I do host a giveaway on my b-day. I love being able to do that.

    I'm in the Swoon QAL also. Just picked FQs from my stash and will cut tonight, I hope.

    Have a great day!

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  6. Ooooh...spooky...Friday the 13th. ;)

    Happy Birthday to you!!!

    A favorite birthday memory of mine would be my son's last birthday party. He chose a Halloween theme and spent months planning the decorations and food he wanted. So sweet!

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  7. First off, Happy Birthday, Michelle!! Hope you have a great sewing day. And I would looove this little stash! I think my fav birthday(s) were when my kids were little and they made/gave me precious little treasures....love gifts from a kid's heart!

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  8. Happy Birthday!!!!! Ohhhhhhhh to be mid 30s again...lol. A favorite birthday...hmmmmmmmm would have to be the year my first grandson was born. He was actually born on our anniversary which is a couple of weeks before my birthday. Can't think of a better gift!!!

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  9. Happy Birthday!! My favorite birthday memory was a few years back, before hubby and I were married. He bought me tickets to see Aretha Franklin at the local amphitheater. We packed a picnic, and sat out under the stars listening to the queen of soul. It was awesome!

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  10. I have been a follower for quite some time..thanks for the giveaway.

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  11. Happy Birthday! Your swoon is going to be gorgeous. And thanks for the chance to win such a generous give-away. I'd love those dots as I'm just discovering patterned backgrounds and I think they would be gorgeous.

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  12. Happy Birthday! I have a happy memory of my kids and husband presenting me, in bed, with a cake made out of rolled up banknotes complete with candles (for guilt free spending!)

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  13. and I follow you on Google Reader!

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  14. I don't know that my favorite birthday memory is fit for public consumption. Seriously. But I'm thinking about it this morning!

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  15. KJR dots are some of the best. On a major birthday a few years ago, my husband surprised me(and I hate surprises). A limo pulled up to the door. Six of our friends were already in it--we drove to our local quilt shop, where we started with appetizers in the classroom, and then had dinner at a Japanese restaurant. Very fun!

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  16. My favorite birthday memory was turning 15 and getting my drivers permit!!

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  17. My favorite b-day was when I turned 5. My parents got me the most beautiful purple Schwinn bicycle with a flowered banana seat and sparkly streamers. I just loved it!

    Thanks for the chance to win.
    Hallie

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  18. I'm a follower. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Hallie

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  19. Happy Birthday and thanks for the giveaway! One of my favorite memories was my surprise 16th birthday party!

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  20. What a great giveaway! Happy Birthday to you! A good memory was a few years ago before I had my son..my hubby and I went with another couple to a casino for the day here in Oregon. It was a blast skipping work/school to go have some adult fun! Maybe in another 20 years we'll do it again!

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  21. Happy birthday!!

    I have a funny birthday memory from when I turned 18. My brother had just gotten home from a mission to Nicuragua, where they have an unusual birthday tradition that my brother decided to inflict upon me just minutes before my guests started arriving: he cracked a raw egg on my head. I was SOOOO mad! But now, a million years later, I can laugh about it!! :)

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  22. I am a loyal follower!!

    Happy birthday!

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  23. Happy Birthday Michelle! I am drinking the swoon kool aid too, love your first block!!

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  24. My favorite B-day Memory was when I was a kid 7-8 years old we had a party in the back yard with friends and family. A pile of presents on the table and no stress. The older I get the less they seem like fun and the more I have to work on them. Enjoy the day off from work and happy sewing.

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  25. Favorite memory is when my parents flew my sister home from Colorado with her little boy for my b-day. Such a fun surprise!

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  26. Favorite birthday memory....a few years ago when my DH and I both had milestone birthdays the same year and the kids had a huge family party with everyone in from various states. A perfect day!

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  27. My favorite holiday memory was my 17th birthday when my whole family and all my friends fooled me and threw me a surprise party.

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  28. And I am following....loving your Swoon!

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  29. Happy Birthday!! I LOVE that you don't go to work on your birthday, that's how it should be!

    This might not really qualify as a memory, but I hope it will work. My birthday is two days before Christmas so when I was a kid we always celebrated the first weekend in Dec. Even though I hated how it was so close to Christmas I felt really special that I always got to celebrate early!

    I hope your day is wonderful!

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  30. I came across your blog from the Swoon-Along group! I can't wait to see all of your KJR Swoon blocks!

    I'm a follower now! :)

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  31. Happy Birthday!

    A birthday memory for me...lol, being VERY pregnant on my birthday and telling my husband "She will NOT be born ON my birthday, but the day after is fine with me!" Now I have 2 babies..well not babies anymore, that share my birthday month. One the week before and one the day after my own birthday. Wouldn't want to change it for the world.

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  32. Happy Birthday! I would absolutely love to win --- my bday was Monday! Also, I LOVE your swoon block, it's incredible!

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  33. Happy Birthday!
    My favourite birthday was a surprise party organised by my husband for a certain 'big' birthday a few years ago!

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  34. My favorite birthday memories always include my mom. She threw the best birthday parties. Usually outside and always simple and fun. She was also a quilter. It's 20 years after her passing and I'm just now getting the bug. But I'm using many of her tools! How cool is that? :-))

    I'm a follower now! How fun.

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  35. I love your Swoon quilt! My favorite birthday was when I turned 11 and got my first horse. I grew up on a farm and had ponies, but it was a big deal when I got my first horse when I turned 11.

    Now I am almost 35 and don't have a horse...when my husband and I got married we promised each other "no horses, no boats." :)

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  36. My birthday typically falls on a holiday weekend or we celebrate it over the holiday weekend so I have a lot of fond memories. My favorite was taking the family to the local amusement park 2 years ago. It was a perfect day!

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  37. I don't have any particularly exciting birthday memories...but maybe this year will be a fun one...it's two weeks from today...and I'll be having my first giveaway!
    Thanks for your giveaway...your Swoon block is beautiful! I pinned it :)

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  38. Happy Birthday, and thanks for the generous giveaway! I love Katie Jump Rope, but somehow missed it, so I haven't bought any yet!

    My grandparents gave me a My Little Pony for my 3rd birthday (A purple unicorn one) and I have loved horses ever since. That one gift changed my entire life! :)

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  39. I'm also a new follower! Thanks for the chance to win!

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  40. Favorite birthday was when my husband surprised me and took my birthday off! We went apple picking, had a wonderful day of being together and went out for dinner. :)

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  41. Love your Swoon block! I'm a new follower, too.

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  42. Gorgeous Swoon block, one of the best I've seen! My favorite birthday memory was my 30th. I was very depressed about turning the big 3-0 and my husband knew it. He threw me a surprise party at my sister's house with my sister and my closest friends. He also arranged for child care and an overnight stay so we could have some drinks guilt free. It totally took my mind off of the fact that I was getting old, lol.

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  43. Happy Birthday!!!
    Love your sewing birthday idea!
    My favourite birthday memory is of spending the day with my they preschool daughter picking blackberries together and then making jam!
    Any birthday I can think about while my Mom was alive also brings back great memories with her as she always knew how to "spoil" me!!!

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  44. I follow you too!!!
    Thanks for the chance to win!

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  45. Love the swoon block. It looks really great with the variety of prints. Beautiful.

    Hubby just turned 36 and I'm not far behind. I still call it "mid" thirties. hehe

    Favorite birthday memory - my birthday is at the end of July so often it has worked out that we are on family vacation around that time, so I have lots of fun birthday memories combined with vacation memories!

    Happy Birthday!!

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  46. I follow via google reader. I read each and every post.

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  47. Your swoon quilt is going to be fabulous. I'd love that stack of Katie Jump Rope. I have only a few prints. My favorite birthday was my 16th. My dad sent me flowers at school and took me out on a special date that night. Those memories still mean so much to me.

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  48. Hope you have a wonderful birthday. I spent mine (October 29) sewing all day too and as a mom of 2 little ones, that was a luxury I rarely ever get.

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  49. Your Swoon quilt is going to be AMAZING! I Still need to decided on my fabrics for mine. My favorite birthday memories is really the one I just had. I turned 30 and my hubs did everything, cleaned the house, did the laundry and made me a super yummy dinner while i got to sit outside and soak up the sun reading a trashy novel.

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  50. I hope your birthday is WONDERFUL. I am a follower

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  51. Oh, Happy Birthday!! Your Swoon block it fabulous! I'd LOVE some of that KJR fabric!

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  52. Happy Birthday! Same with me. I don't work on my birthday! I will spent that day at home doing my favorite thing. Besides sewing, I will read my favorite novel, listen to my favorite song and shopped for my favorite stuffs. I think this is a best day of the year. ;)

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  53. It was my 30th birthday last Wednesday and I was preparing for it to be a traumatic day, but my amazing friends all went out of their way to make it special (including blowing up balloons at 7am to decorate my office before I got to work!) so that was really pretty special! Happy Birthday! (btw mid thirties ends at 39 when you start counting backwards - or so I'm told...)

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  54. Happy birthday, Michelle!! I had a really tough time deciding on a favorite birthday memory for some reason, but I think I would have to say my 31st birthday this last year was my favorite. Between the fantastic dinner restaurant we went to, the perfect kiddo behavior, amazing cake, and some very memorable gifts, it was just the perfect night.

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  55. Happy, Happy birthday! A favourite birthday memory ... hmmmm ... the year my husband actually MADE me a cake with our two kids who were little at the time. He'd never baked before. Sweet.

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  56. I'm a follower and would love your scraps to play with!

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  57. This quilt is going to be so gorgeous! I love this fabric, and I love how you're mixing them up. My favorite memory is when my husband got me a puppy for my birthday. The dog is almost 14, which makes me feel old!

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  58. Happy Birthday! I am a follower!

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  59. I am having a really hard time finding my favorite birthday memory... I love spending my birthday with the kids and my husband but getting a few hours of sewing is always a must! My birthday is on New Years Eve so I guess the best was the year we went out to the National Arts Centre for a NYE concert.

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  60. happy birthday michelle!! i hope you had a wonderful day -- smart gal not to work on your birthday : )

    so happy you're such a special friend of mine!! we must get together soon ......

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  61. Happy birthday! Mine is coming up soon too on the 24th. It always rains on my birthday and last year was the first time in 6 years it didn't. It was so nice because I am really not a fan of the rain.

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  62. happy birthday! i try to never go to work on mine either. i just got this pattern and am super excited to get fabric together and get sewing.

    favorite birthday memory: going for a hot air balloon ride! went with the family and it was wonderful.

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  63. Happy Birthday. What a great idea to not work on your birthday. My favorite birthday memory was getting engaged on my 21st birthday. We are coming up on our 28th anniversary. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  64. Happy Birthday! Hmmm...they've all been pretty good!

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  65. My favourite birthday memory is when my boyfriend took me out to dinner and proposed to me over dessert - we are still together after 20 years!

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  66. I am joining in the Swoon along also and I am a follower.

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  67. Happy Birthday! That makes three quilters I know in January--you, me (mine's the 6th, and Krista-Stitched! An auspicious month. You don't need to enter me in the giveaway, but I did want to leave you a note telling you how beautiful that quilt block is. It's going to be a fabulous looking quilt!

    Elizabeth E.
    occasionalpiece.wordpress.com

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  68. Happy birthday Michelle!
    One of my favorite birthday memory - the day a couple of years ago when I thought everyone had forgotten about my birthday, and then suddenly all friends and family started to call, give flowers and gifts. it was so funny!))

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  69. and of course I'm a follower, through Google Reader
    thanks for chance!

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  70. This is not so much a memory as a quote, my divine sister on law turned 30 last year and her comment was "you know you are getting old when you move up an age bracket" she was now a 30-34 rather than a 25-29.
    I love this, although this year I am moving up an age bracket so now it is not so funny!!!!
    SO don't think about whether you are a mid or late but rather an age bracket!!!
    Happy Birthday, hope you have a wonderful day

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  71. AND......
    I am of course a follower. I love your blog and enjoy reading all the posts. Thanks for sharing your talent and life with me.

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  72. Happy Birthday! How generous. My favourite Birthday was my 18th. It was well planned by someone else and that made it feel special. Of course I LOVE Birthday's so really I just look forward to them each year:)

    Your Swoon block is fantastic.

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  73. I am a new follower. I am not sure I can keep up with all the blogs I follow, but I just browsed through your blog and you have some beautiful projects.

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  74. My favourite birthday was when my husband booked a meal for the two of us but wouldn't tell me where it was. When we arrived at the restaurant, he had booked the whole place and filled it with family and friends. It was amazing and so nice to have all my favourite people together in one place.

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  75. I am a new follower of your blog.

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  76. Happy birthday, Michelle! My favourite birthday memory was when my then boyfriend, now husband took me to Phantom of the Opera. A fabulous day! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  77. Happy Birthday! My favorite memory is going to Disneyland with all of my family. Big family, hard to arrange, but lots of fun.

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  78. Happy Birthday! I had a great birthday when I was in high school and our VB team won the regional tournament and made it to the state tournament on my birthday. I was 18 and it was my senior year!

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  79. Hope you have a wonderful birthday!! For my fourth birthday I wanted a pink party with all pink presents. My mom made this pink dream come true! Birthdays sure were magical when I was a kid.

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  80. I use Google Reader to follow your blog!

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  81. My daughter got to meet her great-grandmother, who she is named after, for my grandmother's 90th birthday. My parents, sister and her husband, my daughter, and I flew out to Germany. We have a four generations photo which has become a family treasure. Oma passed away seven months later, but we have very fond memories of Anna, then three, playing ball with her 90-year old great-grandmother.

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  82. I have a picture of me at my 6th birthday, with a whole cowboy outfit, pistol, holster, vest, skirt and hat! I still remember the picture being taken!

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  83. Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Michelle, Happy birthday to you!

    My favourite birthday memory, hmm, well I loved the one when I lived in Canada as a high school exchange student - we went to a hockey game and out for dinner with my new boyfriend, it was a wonderful, carefree year :o)

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  84. I follow you too, thanks for the chance to win :o)

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  85. Wow, I love your scrappy, but not really random scrappy, but planned scrappy block! So wonderful! Happy Birthday, and getting to sew on your special day, makes it even better!

    One of my best birthday memories was this past year, we went on vacation and I was pregnant, too much emotion to deal with! LOL

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  86. LOVE your Swoon block, really beautiful. Happy birthday & thanks for an amazing giveaway.

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  87. I'm also a happy & devoted follower! Thanks again.

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  88. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  89. (I removed the above comment because I forgot to add my memory!)

    Happy Birthday! I was just thinking about starting this quilt with a pile of DS fabrics I've pulled from my stash. These would go great. Love your fabric choices! My favorite memory is when my Dad sent me flowers on my 16th birthday. Very sweet and unexpected, and I like that the first flowers I ever got came from him.

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  90. I'm a follower, too! Thanks! :)

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