momx33xmom

I have been creating and crafting for as long as I can remember, inspired greatly by my mother, a woman who could take a simple coloring book and crayons and create a masterpiece of light and shadows, highlights and depth. And, while I've always considered myself "crafty", it is only in the past few years that I've begun to see myself as "artistic". My loves are many, but my passions few: I love working with papers, fibers, and fabrics, but am passionate about creating items of beauty with beads and wire.

Still 40-something for a couple more years, I am the mother of three young men, ranging from 25 to 12, and married to a wonderfully romantic man who writes me stories for gifts. I live in the midwest and have been here for most of my adult life-a far cry from being brought up as an Air Force Brat (just call me Dandelion!)where I never lived anywhere more than 2 years until we lived in Germany for 4 years. I long to travel again someday, but for now, I settle for having commrades and contacts all over the world via the BeadART forum and others on delphi, and I look forward to getting to know many of you as I jump into the swap-bot universe!

I collect pretty, delicate, china teacups and saucers in all colors and patterns and look forward to the day when I can invite all my friends to join me for tea, using my collection; I LOVE movies, but especially classics with actors like Tracy & Hepburn, Cary Grant & Doris Day, Jimmy Stewart, etc., and some NEW classics (in my opinion, if no where else) like Murphy's Romance, An American President, Fools Rush In, etc.; while I enjoy growing things, neither my attention level or my thumb generally supports the continuation of life for them, so I settle for cut flowers, and ADORE tulips (blame it on a childhood visit to Amsterdam in Tulip season); I no longer wear perfume, or use scented oils or candles because of allergies, with the exception of eucalyptus and mint, cucumber and melon, and (some) peach scents.

I am in a new phase of my life where I realize that I am tired of keeping/maintaining/organizing STUFF, so I am scaling down in a BIG way the number of knick knack type items-can't wait to see what happens to our home when I get done with the purge phase-so receiving items like that would not really suit me. Additionally, I am working on reducing the amount of "STUFF" I'm carrying on my hips (and tummy, thighs, legs) and am trying to eat better, exercise more, and put food in the proper position in my life-not as my "reward", not as an "emotional crutch"-but as what keeps my body functioning. That being said, I will have to learn to put things like chocolate (especially GOOD chocolate from Europe-thanks again, mom and dad), salty snacks like chips, and coconut almond vanilla lattes! I do love to cook, but mostly because I love to watch people as they enjoy what I've made for them.

Reading and writing are passions: I am currently WITHHOLDING myself from reading Ken Follet's new book, World Without End, because I need to finish WRITING my own novel, I Remember Everything, a story loosely based upon the life of my grandmother, a woman of courage, conviction and faith. I hope to complete the book over my Christmas break-so I'll not be going overboard with swaps until I have it printed and ready for submission to an agent.

There you have it-just a few of my favorite things-what are some of yours?