MY SWAP CODE OF ETHICS:

I WILL NOT FLAKE !

If you don't get something from me, it had to have been lost in the mail. Please contact me if this ever happens and I will resend ASAP. Also, if this should ever happen to me, I will always contact my partner and give a chance for explanation or resending before rating a 1. I feel that's only fair.

If you're my partner and you have to be a little late mailing something, just PM me and let me know. I'm cool. I promise to do the same.

I don't mark something sent until I have dropped it at the post office and I usually always go inside and to the counter to make sure I have correct postage and to get tracking numbers on larger envelopes and packages. I like having the tracking number and never want one of my swap partners to have to pay postage due. However, should you ever have to pay postage due on something from me please let me know and I will reimburse you with stamps ASAP.

Also, there are a couple of swaps where it looks like I sent a day late. I didn't, I just forgot to log on and mark sent after I dropped it off at the post office (or sent my husband to the post office for me). My ratings reflect this, but I just wanted to explain.

I WILL ALWAYS RATE.

If it happens that you don't get a rating from me, I didn't do it on purpose. Just PM me and let me know and I'll right it immediately. Sometimes life happens. Also, my mail goes to my mom's house in a nearby town (no mail service where I live), so it may take up to a week (usually only a day or two) to get to me from there. If Mom sees it's "happy mail" she usually gets it to me right away so she can see what it is, too.

Update 11/19/18: I will be slowing down on swaps for awhile. Probably through the new year. I lost my dad in May and dealing with that grief through the holidays is going to be difficult. Also, my mom has had some heart problems and, while procedures seem to have fixed the problems for now (it's a wait and see kind of thing), she's had to move in with us. We all get along well, but it's still a major adjustment for all of us. I've been through the above and so much more this past year so I'm just taking some time to take care of me. I'll still swap if something really catches my eye, but if I don't participate in any swaps for awhile, this is the reason.

7/1/18: Recently, I have had a problem of my ratings not saving. I don't know why this is happening (I suspect it's my internet connection since I live in a rural area), but it's happened three times that I know of. I will never intentionally not rate someone and will endeavour to double check that the rating actually saved. I'm so sorry this is happening!

Also, please forgive me for not checking/replying to my messages in a timely manner. I lost my father very suddenly and unexpectedly in May. Not only am I dealing with the grief from that, but I'm also an only child so tying up the loose ends is all up to me. Unfortunately, he didn't have things very organized, so I'm having to go through boxes and boxes of paperwork to find what I need (and trying to organize it as I do) which is taking a lot of time.

Disclaimer:I recently learned that there was once a person on SB who went by FaerieGoddess. This person was a flaker and was eventually suspended. My email address is similar to that username. Please know that we are not the same people. I don't know that person and have no connection with that person. I just wanted to put this here because I was afraid someone who had bad dealings with this person might see my email in a swap and think that I am the same person. Again, I AM NOT. I just wanted to make that clear because my reputation here on SB (and otherwise) is very important to me and I take pride in being known IRL as being ethical and honorable. I haven't been on SB long, but I hope to come to be known that way here as well.

ABOUT ME:

I'm female, 32 years old, a homemaker, married to a truly good man (for 13 years), and doggy mom to one. She is a rescued YorkiePoo named Abby (who will be 6 in the fall). She's my little, hairy toddler. She's super smart (and spoiled)and she makes life interesting and is always good for a laugh. I love her dearly.

My husband and my mom are my human best friends and partners in crime. We're like the three musketeers. All for one and one for all. They're the best!

I love to read. Reading is the ultimate way to gain knowledge and escape everyday life for me. I also love to knit, especially socks and prosthetic breasts for ladies who have had mastectomies (I do not charge for them). I love to craft and have a bunch of crafty hobbies (see below). My other hobbies include cooking, baking, cake decorating, camping/hiking, food preservation (canning, dehydrating, etc), collecting vintage ladies' handkerchiefs (I use them and carry one with me at all times), writing, collecting books, and collecting and watching movies.

I love meeting people from all walks of life and different countries. I'm laid back and generally very easy to get along with. Pink is my favorite color. I love the 1940s, especially the hairstyles. Vintage is very cool. I also love all things Faeries (light Faeries) and butterflies.

Caffeine-free Diet Coke is my drink of choice, but I also like tea (hot or iced), and the occasional beer (Redd's Apple Ale, Mike's Hard Limeade, Bud Light), wine (Cupcake Chardonnay is one of my favs), and mixed drink (Cuervo Gold Margarita with lots of salt, White Russian). My favorite food is Mexican (there's a local restaurant that does amazing things with crab meat, cheese and pineapple...delish!). I love writing letters (actually hand writing and mailing) and crafting and all things happy-mail.

I don't get to travel much, but I like to travel and see the world. My dream is to spend Christmas in Vienna. I saw a special on PBS a couple of years ago and was sold. I would also love to travel in the UK (to see where most of my ancestors came from) and Europe. In the U.S., I'd like to go to the Carolinas (to see where my Cherokee ancestors came from, among other things), New England, The Northwest, and back to Santa Fe, NM, and Las Vegas and Reno, NV. I've travelled through a large chunk of the central and southern states of the U.S. I've also been to the Niagara falls area of Canada and would love to visit more of our neighbor to the north.

I love to learn everything I can about my Native American history/culture. I'm 1/32 Cherokee and 1/8 Choctaw.I love connecting with other native people, learning the old legends, learning about medicine and religion and all the old ways. It makes my heart happy. I love going to pow-wows (a gathering with traditional music, dancing, crafts, and food). Hearing the drum circle and the singing makes me cry every time. It's overwhelming in the most beautiful way. I feel connected to my ancestors for thousands of years before me.

I'm a Christian and a Democrat and a gun owner in Bible Belt, America (salacious, right?). I'm also an LGBTQ ally. I will not push my beliefs about any of the previous statements (or anything) on anyone. My husband and I were raised in an evangelical denomination, but we both chose to leave that denomination in our teens (before we met). After we married, we joined the Episcopal church and were there for over 10 years. However, within the last couple of years we began to feel a pull to the Catholic church. We began attending our local Catholic parish on Christmas Eve 2017 and are now catechumens who will be received into the Church during the Easter vigil of 2019. We are happy to finally be home. Honestly, my religious beliefs are unique and don't really fit in a box (I will never push my religious beliefs on anyone! ). Just know that, unless you dabble/practice/work with the dark or are satanist(no judgements if you are, I just don't think that would be a good match - I work worth the light), we can be friends just fine. I'm good with receiving religious things as long as it's either on my "happy" list (way below) and/or it's not unsolicited literature just trying to "convert" me (if I've asked for it and it's just general info, cool; if I haven't asked for it and it's trying to convince me to see things your way or that my way is wrong, not cool). I'm obviously good with most JudeoChristian/Catholic things (I love the saints!), but I'm also good with receiving stuff about earth based and eastern religions, etc, as long as it's respectful, if that makes sense. Examples would be postcards of religious architecture or artwork, old ruins or archaeological finds. Postcards of/from beautiful religious centers/tremples/ places of worship/ sacred places. When in doubt, just ask! I'm pretty cool with most stuff. I respect the beliefs of all and love to learn about other traditions and belief systems. I'm also pretty difficult to offend, but I didn't state that as a challenge (lol).

I'm eclectic and weird and delightful. ;-)

I read a lot of series, so I can't think of single books that would rate the top of my list (I'll keep thinking about it), but some of my top series are:

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon (Finished summer 2017),

The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris (finished 4/2016),

The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters,

The Hannah Swenson series by Joanne Fluke,

The Fey series by Karen Marie Moning,

The Lady Julia Grey series by Deanna Raybourn,

The Lord of the rings trillogy by J.R.R. Tolkien,

The Kinsey Milhone series by Sue Grafton,

Both Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich

The Lizzy and Diesel series by Janet Evanovich

The Highland/Fairy series by Melissa Mayhue

Pretty much anything by Jude Deveraux, Julie Garwood, Janet Chapman, Melissa Mayhue, Monica McCarty, Veronica Wolf, Lynn Kurland, Wanda Brunstetter, and Agatha Christie, among others.

My favorite genres are time travel romance, historical romance, historical fiction, mysteries, cozy mysteries, Christian fiction (the same as my secular genre preferences: historical romance, romance, mystery, etc...), Christian non-fiction, religion and theology, and biography.

I really, really love time travel romance or historical romance set in Scotland or England in medieval times (anything pre-Regency period, really; I really don't care for most that are set in the Regency period) or even earlier than that with Vikings. I definitely prefer Scots and Vikings. I'm not big on contemporary romance or most chick-lit unless it's done just right. The Christian romance I like are mostly Amish. I'm just fascinated with the Amish way of life and hold such respect for them.

I loved my Kindle (2nd gen, it recently died after 6+ years of faithful service😭) and now use the Kindle app and a Kindle Fire 8, which I also love. I also use the Google Play Books app. I'm completely in love with BookBub.com and their daily emails of free and cheap ebook awesomeness! I've been subscribed (it's totally free! ) for years now and still look forward to those little emails. If you have Kindle and similar reading tastes and want to borrow/loan books back and forth, send me a PM! That would be so fun!

I also enjoy collecting and reading cookbooks. Yes, I know that's kinda weird.

Mostly 60s, 70s, and 90s stuff. Mostly rock, alt rock, classic rock, and blues with a tiny bit of pop and country.

Nirvana, Janis Joplin, Hendrix, led zep, Black Sabbath, Fastball (anything but "the way"), Marcy playground, Garth Brooks, little big town, Miranda Lambert, Carole king, Alice in Chains, the GooGoo Dolls, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Beatles, CSNY (Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young), Stevie Ray Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, The Grateful Dead, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Johnny Lang, Joss Stone, ZZ Top, Eric Clapton, KoKo Taylor ( had the AMAZING pleasure of seeing her live before she passed), Nickleback, The Mamas and the Papas, and many, many others.

I have pretty eclectic tastes.

I watch a ton of movies and collect dvds (over 500 so far, and I now have to use an app on my phone to catalog and keep track of them) with my husband so this is an ever changing list without a true sole favorite.

Some of the top ones include:
Almost Famous
Dazed and Confused
The Rose
Around the Fire
Detroit Rock City
Secondhand Lions
Waitress
Walk like a man
The Twilight Saga....

There really are too many to name and the list is ever changing.

My favorite genres are comedy, drama, action and pretty much anything but horror. I really love old movies, especially those starting Cary Grant or Audrey Hepburn.

I don't watch a ton of tv (we live in a rural area and don't have cable or satellite, so we watch what we can get on the antenna - 4 PBS channels, including create; CBS; The CW) but I really like The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, and Two Broke Girls. Whatever else I watch is usually on PBS or CREATE (which I think they should just re-name after me, because there are very few topics they cover that I'm not interested in - it's my favorite tv channel/network and it's mostly what I watch). I like The Walking Dead, but I always wait until the seasons come out on DVD and rent them.

I'm usually either reading, crafting, or watching movies with my husband in my spare time at home.

Shows I've liked/loved in the past:
Bones, Lost, True Blood, Firefly, Will and Grace, Frasier, Burn Notice, Downton Abby, Breaking Bad, Raising Hope, Freaks and Geeks, Chuck, Sons of Anarchy, I Love Lucy, Laverne and Shirley, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie (I watched a lot of TV Land/reruns when I was a kid).....

Knitting (especially socks and boobs for knittedknockers.org), tatting lace, embroidery, crochet , Zentangle/zendoodle, scrapbooking/card making/paper art, and painting (mixed water media: watercolor, gouache, and acrylic). I also do a little jewelry making and sewing. I have recently discovered adult coloring books and LOVE them!

STUFF THAT MAKES ME HAPPY:

Tea (chai spice, fruit flavors, oolong, floral, herbal, black, green, white,etc...)

Hot cocoa

Salted caramel

Good dark chocolate

Sakura Pigma Micron Pens (especially .05, 01, & 02 nib sizes in all colors)

Gel Pens

Colored pencil

Watercolor pencils/crayons

Faeries/Fairies (not dark fae)

Angels

Butterflies

The color pink (I also like purple and blue)

Puppies

Bunnies (I used to have a house bunny)

Flowers

The smell of patchouli, lavender, sandalwood, nag champa, peony, hyacinth, honeysuckle

Incense

Candles

Handmade soaps

Lotion

Wax Tarts and scented oils to put in a warmer (or diffuser)

Adult coloring books/pages

Ladies handkerchiefs (I collect them, use them, and carry one with me at all times)

Vintage stuff (especially 1940s hairstyles)

Antique or reproduction writing instruments and accoutrements (feather pens/quills, dip pens, glass dip pens, ink wells, ink, etc)

Pretty stationery & note/thank you cards (inspirational or Christian is fine, but certainly not necessary)

Owls (especially white owls and cute little multicolor owls)

Knitting/crochet/tatting patterns

Vintage knitting/crochet/tatting patterns

Old Workbasket magazines (I collect them)

Knitting needles (especially double pointed needles and, again, vintage)

Tatting shuttles or needless

Tatting/crochet thread & samples

Bookmarks

Zentangle tiles & Zendoodle/Zentangle Inspired Artwork(ZIA)

ATCs

ATC supplies

Postcards (handmade, pretty scenery, touristy, places and people, pretty flowers, cute animals)

Postalettes

Letters

Recipes

Aprons (and apron patterns)

Pressed flowers

Art

Inchies/twinchies/rinchies

Washi tape and samples

Recipes

Blank recipe cards

Scrapbooking/paper crafting supplies (tags, papers, die cuts, stickers, etc)

Watercolor paper or other art papers

Impressionistic/Neo-impressionistic art

Art Nouveau style

Embroidery patterns

Embroidery floss

Beads, findings, and beading materials

Christian/Catholic prayers (Saints are cool)

Prayer cards and saint cards

Jesus, Mary, St. Gianna Beretta Molla, St. Francis, St.Jude, the Archangels

Rosary/Anglican rosary beads and prayers (I use both styles of prayer beads)

Catholic/Christian religious/saint medals (I collect them. Right now I wear them around my neck, but when I get enough, I am going to make them into a charm bracelet. I currently have a Saint Benedict, sent to me by the thoughtful @Ree87 and an immaculate conception/miraculous medal, but I certainly don't mind repeats!)

Small clippings of Jesus, Mary, or other saints or Archangels for use in matchbox/Altoid tin/pocket shrines

Empty matchboxes and Altoid tins (or similar)

Neat paperclips or decorated paperclips

Friendship bracelets or other handmade jewelry (I do have pierced ears)

Books (see above for preferences)

Cute/pretty/funny/neat .gifs or .jpgs in my comments

Souvenir/touristy magnets (or other cute magnets that correspond to my interests, like owls or butterflies, for example)

THINGS I'M NOT SO CRAZY ABOUT:

Spicy foods,

Food scented candles/soaps/lotions/incense/wax tarts/scented oils,

the color orange,

licorice flavors,

graphic novels, manga/animae/kawaii/My Little Pony/Disney (just never got into it),

zombies (yes, I watch and like the The Walking Dead, but, in general, I'm not crazy about zombies),

horror movies or books,

anything satanic or about evil or demons,

snakes (even snakeskin),

teacher or award/reward stickers or other very childish stickers, ...

I desperately want to have children, but have been unable to do so in (almost)12 years of marriage, and, sometimes, pictures of babies make me really really sad, so I'd rather you didn't send them or anything relating to babies or motherhood (if you're unsure, please feel free to ask - I don't bite! ). Also, please don't send kid's stuff or childish things as I have no children to give them to and my nieces and nephew are older preteens (and I don't get to see them often).