Have you missed me?

Sorry for what seems to be a missing persons alert!  I’ve been on vacation, 2 of them actually!  Working vacations!  Learning vacations!  A really cool blogger vacation and a very special project with my Dad vacation.  Here is a sneak peek………..

Hee hee – sorry…………I can’t spoil the surprise!  For those of you that know what Dad and I have going on up there………you will have to wait!  Until then, here are a couple of pictures of the beautiful lake view up in Ely, MN!!

I started this blog so I could share my love of all things creative with who ever wants to listen to me blab about it (or read it).  I have been creative for as long as I can remember.  Mom and Dad will tell you I was an avid Betty Lou and the Magic Window viewer from a really young age. (You locals know who I’m talking about!)  I had a T.V. tray, little chair and all my crafting supplies just like her – including my cellophane tape and aluminum foil!  (you can make anything with foil!!) Mom had a love/hate relationship with that show (more of a “hate” after I cut up her antique Quaker Oats container and made a beautiful bird feeder out of it!  She cried when I gave it to her, I thought it was because she loved it so much…who knew?).  Decorating, being crafty and my love of junking and design comes easy for me…..ummm and my gift to gab! 

However, transferring those thoughts, projects and my life happenings into a blog is a totally new concept for me.  There is a lot to it!  Taking pictures of my “mess” while being creative, editing pictures, learning about widgets, and plugins and analytics ….. the list goes on! 

This all brings me to the second vacation…. of sorts!  Last week I spent 3-1/2 days in Atlanta for the 2016 Haven Bloggers Conference. 

I won’t bore all of you with the details of what I learned. However, I will tell you I had the opportunity to talk with representatives from some amazing companies Wagner, Ryobi and Kreg Tool!!!  Um yeah, how cool is that?  A little hometown representation with Kreg Tool!!!  I loved sharing with my new friends that my son works there and might have been the one that made the Jig they received at the conference!   I might be a little bias- but I do “heart” my Kreg Jig!  Dad and I are working on a very special project involving my jig but like I said before, you will have to wait for that post!

These companies handed out lots, I mean LOTS of products/SWAG for us to haul home (over 50 lbs- my luggage is proof!)!  I am all giddy about the project ideas I have swimming in my head right now and the opportunity to put these tools and products to work!

I also met some truly amazing women.  There were 350 bloggers in attendance and I feel like I met most of them!  I have to say thank you to my friend and old neighbor Penny for telling me about Haven.  I have to admit, when she first told me about Haven I didn’t think it was a “real” conference.  I mean who would have a conference for DIY bloggers?!!  She even offered to tag along,  thanks friend! 

Once I realized it was a “real” conference- why wouldn’t it be, I braved it and signed up!  Well first I committed to share a room with 3 women I had never met!  Then I told Mike I HAVE to go now – they are counting on me to split the cost of the room!  He didn’t care, I think he was secretly looking forward to being home alone and eating ice cream for supper if he wanted!  But not in the living room right Mike?! 

I met these 3 awesome roommates on the conference FB page, even found 3 ladies I had never met to share a cab with.  In the end I made new friendships which I’m sure will be life long!  You can meet some of my new friends and their blogs here:
Beth @ Reality Daydream she is super talented!!  AND she lives in IOWA!!  One of my NEW BEST BLOGGING BUDDIES!!!
Yuni @ Love your Abode  she has a style that is very different from mine – absolutly BEAUTIFUL
Amanda @ Life on the Bay Bush – down to earth and the wife of a farmer – gotta love her!
Shaina @ Married to Restoration – Sweet young thing – expecting a baby!!
Wendy @ Old Lake George and her hubby Wade – who wore the same outfit most of the conference – Ok, maybe the airline lost his luggage!  Wendy and I first met on a FB messenger chat that lasted 8 hours – do you think we connected?  It was even better in person!!

We started each day at 7:00 a.m. and usually turned off The lights by MIDNIGHT!!! By the time I made it home and landed on my own pillow 12:30 a.m. Monday morning, I was exhausted! 
What a vacation!