kristenita

Hello! I am a stay-at-home mom and this job keeps me busier that anything I have ever done. My kids are 5, 6, and 12 years old. They keep my busy, but I do adore them! Now that my youngest is in pre-k, I finally have a few moments to myself (4 days a week).

As a former teacher, I put my education to use by volunteering in the kids' school. I enjoy this, A LOT!

I love fashion and looking pretty. Doesn't every girl like to look pretty?

I always have a book with me, just in case I can read a few pages! I also listen to audio books. The audio books make running errands seem like less of a waste of time. The kids do not like it when I listen to the audio books, so we have a deal that if they are behaving, I will leave the music on. If they stress me out, my book goes on!

I read almost all genres, except for science fiction, fantasy, and anything vampire related (sorry, I know this is a hot subject at the moment).

My favorite book is almost always the book I am reading or the book I just finished. If I had to pick an all time favorite book, it would probably be "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See.

I run, but I hate every minute of it I love how it feels when I am done!

Training has recently begun and I cannot tell you how much I hate it! I know it will get better. One foot in front of the other...

Every year, I participate in the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the world's largest 10km race with a cap of 100,000 participants. This race is known for its heat, hills, and humidity. The race may be brutal, but it is such an accomplishment to finish!

I practice yoga 2 or 3 times a week. I seriously LOVE yoga and think that everyone should do it! Recently, my daily to-do list has been too long and I haven't had the time to get on my mat. I am working to make this my priority, again (after my hubby and kids, of course).

I love plants- both indoor and outdoor. Most of my indoor plants share a sunroom with the kids' toys. They (the plants) don't seem to mind sharing. The kids like to help water them. My husband built me an English Garden as a wedding present (this still makes me swoon when I think of how sweet of a gesture it is). He is always there to help, but I do most of the maintenance (except for trimming the roses- I am no good at this).

I like to be green. I hate to see recyclables in public trash cans. I don't understand why gas stations wouldn't put recycle bins next to the trash bins. I have been known to collect recyclables on road trips to recycle when we get home. I also compost and steer clear of paper napkins and paper towels. I just use flannel cloths instead of paper towels and cloth napkins, too. At first, we made the switch to be environmentally friendly. Now, when I do buy the occasional roll of paper towels, I am shocked at how much they cost!

If you ever don't receive a swap from me, please let me know! With all the mail running through the Post Office on a daily basis, I would imagine some would get lost. I actually have a theory that there is a HUGE book of lost postcards that we will see, one day, at the Smithsonian. Did you know that there is actually a Smithsonian Postal Museum in Washington DC? It is a fun museum and it is FREE!

PLEASE WRITE MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE! I swap with some of you quite regularly and I would like to get to know you better. It is hard to do that when I only get a generic greeting on the back of the card.

If you're unhappy with what I send, let me know before leaving a bad rating. My favorite part of swapping is picking out a postcard for someone, so I want to make sure you're happy. REALLY, I'm not just saying this!

I really like to give HEARTS- why not?! I like to like to show appreciation; it is on my self-improvement plan. Besides, this is supposed to be a fun hobby. I feel really bad if I don't get a heart and I never want to make anyone else feel bad.

Please, feel free to send naked postcards to me. Even if a swap requirement is to send in an envelope, I would prefer no envelope. I will NOT give you a bad rating for not using an envelope! In fact, I don't think I ever would give a bad rating (maybe just no heart)!

I love creativity- if you can find something that loosely relates to something I like, I will be happy you thought of me. For those of you who like to work from a specific list, here are a few ideas (in no particular order):
trees the color yellow Lantern Press vintage/linen Moomin,
hydrangeas, lily-of-the-valley, hyacinths koala bears, monkeys (for my son), flamingos (for my daughter) UNESCO sites historical themes (a brief explanation is nice, but I can always google it) pin up girls B&W Holiday Cards at appropriate time of year Coca-Cola Vintage Ad Cards I like most of art cards. In the past, I have avoided naming favorite artist, but I am think I will choose a few favorites and change them every couple of months.
Artists of the month: Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Vermeer, and Mary Casset. I love many other artists, I'm just trying something new here! Special/unique postcards are welcome!
Sorry but typical tourist postcards from the USA aren't my favorite (International ones are, though).
If you have a cool roadside stop or hidden gem that you know about, I like that type of postcard! It is always nice to know why you picked a particular postcard. I like to be more positive than negative, but I should mention that I am not a fan of un-colored coloring postcards.