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In the middle of our conference season, and coming off the Birkie (a 31 mile ski race from Cable to Hayward), I have found it difficult to remember to blog. If there is one thing that you are supposed to do with your blog - It is write often, put in pictures, and post them. So I'm going to keep this one really 'Short and Sweet'... The 'Short' part is about the Birkie - Annie and I participated in this Cross Country Ski event in 2009 and 2010 but with the birth of Eloise, Annie was sidelined this this year.

An exciting thing about the Birkie is that I contacted them in the summer and we were able to work with their staff in creating custom mugs  for their Trail Run event in the Fall, trophies for the age class categories for all the ski races, and a line of handmade mugs for retail! Here are just a couple of images of the mugs that we made. The artwork shows the 2 Norwegian warriors rescuing the infant Prince Haakon Haakonsson in 1205.

one red birkie mugs and one brown birkie mug

Although my time wasn't as good as last year, I enjoyed myself... The air temps was about -3ºF at the start and maybe about 4ºF when I finished... Luckily after the race was over I got to drive back to MN and see my beautiful baby girl and amazing wife...

Now we enter the 'sweet' part of the blog, more pictures of Eloise!

A good friend and photographer, Becca Sabot, came over to our house 2 weeks ago and shot some amazing images of our baby girl. We talked about a few ideas and then began moving furniture and staging things - Eloise was great but didn't exactly go along with our 'plans'... She must be taking after dad. For the shots that we wanted to do with her asleep she would wake up, and then when we tried to go along with her being awake, she would... Yep you guessed it, she fell asleep. At any rate here are some of the favorites!

Baby Elosie Deneen

This one will go down as the 'COME BACK' year... Like most businesses and cycles there are good times and, well, some not-so-good times. Over the last 18 years that we have been vendor members of Paii, we have seen some high highs and some lows... Ever since Jay Karen became president, things have slowly but steadily started to change. Change takes time, but in just a few short years with Jay focusing on the innkeeping industry and as president of Paii, amazing things have started happening, and the Charleston Innkeepers Conference is proof. We met more new customers, and wrote more orders for existing customers that we have in at least 6 years. "This is the best conference in a long time", Peter Deneen mentioned after the closing. Peter also said that "more innkeepers increased their orders for our handmade stoneware mugs, and that shows that Jay is doing a great job." We heard that the attendance was up by 20% over last year! Also the overall mood of all that we talked to was of positivity, filled with renewed hope, excitement for Paii, and the innkeeping industry as a whole. Deneen at the Innkeeper Conference

The time has come again... The Innkeeping Conference & Trade Show is just around the corner and we are cranking out the Official Paii Mug for the 19th consecutive year! This educational and networking event focuses specifically on the innkeeper. This conference will bring together the key leaders and experts to share their wisdom on the issues that impact you the most to make you stand ahead of the competition. This premier event for innkeepers is held in South Carolina Jaunary 10-13th and is hosted by the Professional Association of Innkeepers International, in cooperation with Select Registry. We are proud, honored, and psyched to unveil the initial mock up for the 2011 mug... This year we are going back to a traditional style that has been in production since 1986 - The Flare Mug, in Hunter Green. The handle of this style is the 'C' Handle, which we designed for more hand clearance... Just one of the little things that we do to make our mugs the best! There is still time to register! For more information visit: www.innkeepingshow.com

I was forwarded this wonderful piece by a friend who is familiar with the fact that we make mugs for Bed & Breakfasts. The friend thought that the article would be a good resource for finding a few new clients. The rational is straight forward - American's Coziest B&B's should have American's best handcrafted mugs. I am pleased to report that 5 of the properties listed are customers and have our mugs right now, they are: Inn at Round Barn Farm, El Farolito B&B Inn, The Goldmoor Inn, The Hartstone Inn, and The Empress of Little Rock! Here is the article in it's entirety as published on Yahoo.com, written by the Editors of SmarterTravel.com. Add a roaring fireplace, warm cookies, and friendly innkeepers to your travels this fall and you'll likely find yourself at a nice little bed and breakfast. Autumn discounts abound at BnBFinder.com, while BedandBreakfast.com offers no shortage of inspiration. While there are countless options for travelers seeking an intimate stay this fall, here are the 10 B&Bs we think are the coziest from coast to coast. Carter House Inns in Eureka, Calif. Photo: Jumping Rocks, Inc. More from SmarterTravel.com