September 19, 2012

Your Hostess



Hiya, it's the Summer of 2017 now,

I’m Victoria (Swanson) Lavender, my husband and I live in Tucson Arizona. We’re “Zonie Snowbirds”. After 20 summers of dry heat, monsoons and temps as high as 115 F, we now travel to spend nearly 6 mos in my hometown of Havre de Grace, Maryland as well.

6 grandkids....just one girl! Oh boy is she out numbered by the little indians. Well, one has Cherokee in him. In Tucson the pool is heated for nearly year round use, some of those kids are actually fish.

We love the stark beauty of the desert and the amazing mountains and have lived here 20 years. Steve is from the Chicago area, and I grew up along the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay in Harford County Maryland.

We are both retired. I was a Commercial/Graphic Artist and Steve retired from his company as it sold its self to a much larger mining based company. Holds a Master of Mining Science and really lucked out in the clean side of mining. Pioneers in 3D modeling, the company created “Minesight” unknown to most of us but a monster of info to someone in the small mining community. A Genius and an Artist...what a combo!

*My sister and I started the website “Kids4Crafts” in 2005. Even though we really don’t work on it anymore (much) it receives hundreds of visitors each week.

*I fell into the online greeting card challenges and created “AAA Cards”. If you like making CAS cards- you’ve got to visit them. I left and passed on the website when I retired, and the card challenges are still creating fun for hundreds of crafters each month!

*I’m an artisan soapmaker these days. Our company is Bay Breeze Soap, LLC. Got a web page there too. Pretty soaps to view!

 *The blog “Victoria Lavender” was started as a lavender based toiletries business for farmers markets. It was fun...for a little while. Too hot most of the time for me. I kept my business name Victoria Lavender and used it as my name when I started blogging. Hey, 17 years ago, that’s what we all did.
   The blog has seen a lot of changes and has been just the cutest thing for me to see how many visitors still come by each month! The monthly average is about 14,000. Just cracks me up, most of my hits are for my post “16 Pool Noodle Exercises”. (THANK YOU Pinterest!)

Now my blog is morphing into a Retired Lifestyle spot “Victory is Mine....most of the time”. Retirement has brought us to a condo smack on The Chesapeake Bay and the Susquehanna River. We love sharing pictures of the lighthouse, the park and wildlife- right next door.

I hope you enjoy bouncing around the whole blog. Thank you so much.


Peace & hugs,
Victoria Swanson

2 comments:

  1. Was just reading your bio and looking thru your blog. Lots of different ideas there. Love the flower doodles you do. Is it possible to purchase the doodled flowers as a digital file.

    I am still going thru the change of life (10years now) and have so many hot flushes I have decided I would like to set up base in the Antarctic myself :) my husbands not so keen. Anywhere hot these days just about wipes me out.

    Thanks for sharing your talent the way you do.

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  2. I just came across your blog and saw the pist with the camper and the black and white cat at the bottom of that post. I am assuming that was Bozo. He looks exactly like my Elvis, who was such a wonderfully sweet cat. He went to his final rest at 17 years old also. Its amazing g how animals truly get into your heart and soul. Take care.

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