A Minnesota Blogger Conference 2013 Q & A Session with Greg Swan

As a member of the event planning committee, about a month ago I had the pleasure of doing a remote interview for the Minnesota Blogger Conference website. The post highlighted one of our Closing keynote panelists - Greg Swan. I finally had the opportunity to meet Greg face to face on the day of the conference. Below is a link to that post. Please take a few moments to hop over & check it out.

http://mnbloggerconference.com/2013/10/07/q-a-with-mnblogcon-closing-keynote-panel-speaker-greg-swan/

Greg is below on the far right wearing the Google Glass

  

Wordless Wednesday - Signs of Spring

One of the things I love about the lot we live on is the abundance of nature that surrounds us.  Having a new camera allows me to capture way more than I was able to in the past. Until we get a new PC the photos I'll post will be unedited:

Goose Egg - Hatched

My Munchkin tells me both of these must be males because they are so colorful...

Sassy Male Cardinal

Gathering worms for their young after the morning rain.

Nosy rabbit on our deck before the garden was planted.

Frog or toad? Not exactly sure.

Sugar Spa Peas from seed

Still amazed how quickly they grew...

 I'll be sure to post garden pics throughout the summer... Trying a lot of new things this year on the deck. 

Already getting ideas on self watering systems to add for next year.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:May Flowers & New Experiences or Wordless Wednesday - Patience Reaps Reward

Spring 2013 - HomeGoods Finds

It's been far too long since I sat down to write, but with so many changes in our lives over the past school year it's been an impossible task to find the time. Munchkin is now in Kindergarten. And I am officially a hockey mom after having survived our first Mini Mite Hockey session. I say "our" because it really is a family endeavor. Parents are very involved in the League, so volunteer work at the ice rink took up quite a bit of time outside of the hours spent preparing to go to the rink & watching Munchkin skate. 

Over his vacation, hubby tackled another major remodeling project, removing wallpaper from our massive dining & living rooms. The 18 foot vaulted ceilings meant the job was no joke. But in only a week the new paint is up & my mind have been on interior decorating for the updated spaces.

I had a couple hours of "me" time to spend while my Munchkin attended a birthday party last Friday.  I sneaked over to the neighborhood HomeGoods store.  Rarely do I stop in there without filling my cart with great things to freshen up the decor in our home. Yesterday was no exception!

I snapped a few photos of the things I purchased as I made my way through the store:

These chairs were the first thing in the store to really stand out - If I were single, these definitely would have made it into my cart - FABULOUS!

This tabletop chandelier/candelabra was really pretty too.

I loved how saturated the color was in this Cynthia Rowley bathroom accessory set - so unique.

 If they would have had more than one of these, I would have grabbed them to go in my living room. A classic look any couple would be able to agree on, plus the quilting was a nice touch.

How fun would these milk bottles look in someones kitchen?! No place to put them or they would have made it into my cart.

       

Now finally something I did take home. The pillow on the right is now at home on my living room couch. The pillow on the left just wasn't the right color combination so back on the display it went.

The towels matched the color scheme in my main floor guest bathroom & I filled the bottle with caviar potpourri. Was originally shopping for throws for my living room, but I couldn't find any, so I moved onto the art.

This would have been perfect for my Munchkin's room had I chosen a train theme when he was a toddler.

Some really fun "chalkboard" style prints. 

The messages are great too.

 

After looking through about a hundred different prints, I tossed around picking up these to see if they would work. After some thought, I realized there was just too much orange for my taste. Hopefully someone grabbed these finds and made a home for them.

 

Above are a sampling of art I've purchased - 

all from HomeGoods for a Master Bedroom & Bath mini remodel. 

 The one on the bottom is from my most recent trip.

The beauty of HomeGoods is that the inventory is always changing. Quality merchandise can be found everywhere throughout the store. It's like shopping with a trusted friend. The buyers have great taste, plus they understand what their customers are looking for. Every time you visit, there will always be a great find.

Disclaimer: HomeGoods did not compensate me for writing this post.  I've been a "fan" and shopper of HomeGoods for many years. It's truly one of my favorite home decor stores to shop. Not sure I could live without it really.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like: Stream of Consciousness Sunday: Kick Back & Relax or Stream Of Consciousness Sunday: Daily Distractions