ccap

Updated June 2026.

My name is Cynthia.

I'm 56 and my kids are:
A (girl): 20
J (boy): 18
My husband is 59 in case anyone cared about HIS age.

I love to bake and cook. So I'd happily receive recipes that you love to make. And, I much prefer my recipes on 8.5x11" paper as I keep a recipe binder.

I am a former farm girl who now lives in the city. But, I am still an outdoor/country girl at heart. I love to garden and can as many pickles and vegetables as I'm able. (Summer of 2021 I canned 151 jars. 18 different recipes.) We are an AVID tenting family and are proud of it.

I am not very crafty but that doesn't mean I don't LOVE to get your homemade gifts. As well, I am comPLETELY fine with second-hand stuff (as long as it's in good condition).

I LOVE one on one swaps so if you see anything that piques your interest please message me. Frankly, one one one swaps and larger package swaps are my favourite and I'm often looking for people to do them with.

I'm really not fond of extras. I get so many things that I have no real use for. However, if you feel you absolutely want to put in a little extra, the three things that delight me the most are: 1. an ATC you made. 2. a list of favourite books you've read. 3. a teabag.

Current wishlist: My word of the year for 2026 (okay, kind of 2 of them) are delight and whimsy. I would love to know something in your life that brings you delight or some whimsy you have.

Also, my current favourite quote is this:

And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.' ― Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

I would love that on some form of art (a bookmark? an ATC? over watercolour?) or simply printed up in a nice style for my wall. The more the merrier. With or without Kurt's name.

I love music. Much of my life is connected with a song. I often think one day I should put together a soundtrack of my life. I lean towards lyric-based folk music. We have an AMAZING Folk Festival here in Winnipeg and I've been going for 38 years.
- Jann Arden
- the waifs
- Sara Groves
- Brandi Carlile
- Josh Ritter
- Jeremy Fisher
- Indigo Girls

• Memento
• The Princess Bride
• Fight Club
• Se7en
• American Beauty
• Sliding Doors
• The Usual Suspects
• Amelie
• The Station Agent
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Before Sunrise
• Before Sunset
• Finding Neverland
• Garden State
• Jojo Rabbit
• Parasite

And also, things that I've loved from other countries that I'd love to receive again:

Kex choklad

New Energy Cashew and Hazelnut

Lotte Salted Caramels

Milka Choco Break mit Haferflocken

Ice cubes Gum - wintergreen flavour

Boston Baked Beans

Cow Tales Caramel

Toms Guld Barre

Toms Mini Saltkaramel

Anthon Berg Mini Marzipan Bars

Kanjers Original Stroopwafels

Manners wafers

Fazer Kismet chocolate wafer

Milk candy

Manners Winter edition wafers

OLW Smash! bags

Nidar God Paske

Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Tea Cakes

But, honestly, I just love candy and chocolate. Salted caramel, marshmallow, lemon, coconut and chocolate, nuts and chocolate, tart candies...

• Photography
• Cooking
• Making ATCs

• Colored Sharpie markers
• Dip mixes
• Map or globe items
• Typography and ampersand art
• Notecards
• Writing paper
• Wine stoppers
• Reusable shopping bags / totes
• Tea (My favourites are Earl Grey and English Breakfast. However, I have a lot of tea drinking guests so will happily take anything.)
• Wrapping paper
• Potato chips
• Bubblegum
• Herbs
• Caramel
• Cooking magazines
• Cookie cutters
• Daisies
• Going to garage sales
• Lemon candy
• Traveling
• Bright post-it notes
• Mini glass magnets
• Musicals
• Gardening (I would be delighted to get seeds.)
• Cooking
• Canning (if you can, I would love a recipe of your favourite thing to can.)
• Chocolate
• Marshmallow candy
• Sarcasm. I loooove me some good sarcasm. You send me an Anne Taintor (or similar) magnet and I will automatically give you a heart.

• Goth
• Kawaii
• Gold jewelry
• Jelly bellies
• White chocolate
• Fruit tea
• Black licorice
• Amaretto flavor
• Lotions (Not that I don't like them but I'm quite sensitive to smells so I can't use most.)
• Chocolate and fruit combinations. (ie. I don't like pear, orange or raspberry flavored chocolate.)

I am an AVID reader. Here are some recent reads that I have given a 4 or 5 star rating on Goodreads (in other words, I liked them):
- Dusk, Night Dawn by Anne Lamott
- The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
- Long Bright River by Liz Moore
- When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
- American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
- Know My Name by Chanel Miller

If you've read any of the above AND enjoyed them, I would be happy to receive a note of books that you've loved and recommend.

My family and I hosted high school students from around the world for 15 years. So far we've hosted 20 students from the following countries:
- Hong Kong
- Thailand
- South Korea
- Mexico
- Nigeria
- China
- Colombia
- Brazil
- Vietnam
- Japan
- Germany
- Spain

Some haven't been good fits for our family but by far the majority have been great kids that we've enjoyed having live with us.

If you're creating something for me here are some themes I like
- Flowers (lavender, tulips, peonies, poppies, daisies, lilacs, lilies, sunflowers)
- Mushrooms
- Trees
- Camping
- Polka dots
- Impressionist art
- Single line drawings
- Dragonflies
- Gardens
- 4 seasons