JenDiggityDirt

I'm a 35 year old girl in Southern California's Inland Empire with a wonderful husband and an evil (but loveable) cat, Cat.

We operate a small business from our home so I have a lot of time where I have to be home to get the phone, but I could be doing fun, creative things between calls to break up my day. That's where Swap-Bot comes in!

When I'm not working I like to cook vegan dishes using fresh, whole foods. I am a bit of a health nut when it comes to nutrition, not that I don't enjoy cookies and ice cream once in a while...I just make sure they have no hydrogenated oils and no butterfat :) I've also been dabbling with raw food recipes. Fun! And yummy. By no means do I mean to imply that I am in perfect shape and health, though! I spent a lot of years eating crap and being terrible to my body and it's only been since spring of 2006 that I've been on this journey to better health. I have a long way still to go.

We enjoy traveling, mostly local road trips and day-adventures. We're both into local history so it's fun to visit places we read about in books or at museums.

I really love exploring the outdoors and taking photos of plants, animals, and beautiful scenery.

I love to shop for treasure. I love thrift shops, antique stores, yard sales, flea markets, estate sales...and my house looks like it! I have a lot of junk, but it's all really GOOD junk!

The things that I collect are proudly displayed in my home, which has multiple themes going on. Kitchen: Early California, 30's/40's, red, lime, and orange with a touch of pink and turquoise, fruit crate labels, vintage advertising, kitschy Living Room/Dining: old west (NOT southwest), classic cowboys, high-end "woodland" (squirrels and bears and owls and acorns...that sort of thing), dark muted colors...I like to think of it as perhaps belonging to someone in the old west, who lives in the mountains, but can afford some of the finer things in life (good fabrics, ornate frames, etc). Like perhaps a parlor in the home of Mr. & Mrs. Olson from Little House on the Prairie, but cozier. And with squirrels. Bedroom: Argh! And Ahoy! It's me bedroom ahead! The look I was going for here was daughter of the governor of some Caribbean isle (decorated in lush, tropical fabrics, one wall full of various gold framed prints and photos, oriental rugs, big furniture) but she's got a bit of the wanderlust and befriended the pirates who visit, decorating here and there with trinkets they bring her (carved parrot, brass pirate bookends, model ships, a tasteful skull and crossbones here and there). You get the idea. Classic pirate, not campy pirate, and not overdone. There's not a "Surrender the Booty" flag flying above our bed or anything like that! Bathroom: My master bathroom carries over the theme I've got going on in the bedroom, but with more emphasis on the nautical stuff. Think seashells and corals with darker colors. Other bathroom: The guest bathroom in my house is pretty boring, really. I've got a turquoise , light green, touches of pink and yellow theme going on in there...it's a little more modern than the rest of my house with some rubber duckies here and there (pirate duckies yar!), a soap collection, and some pretty glass bottles. Library: I've recently had to box up the majority of my books as our business has expanded and taken over a good third of my home now. I collect fine editions of classics (especially Mark Twain) and am especially fond of my collection of graphic art books (especially vintage advertising), weird trivia, Zombie fiction, California history, and...oh, darn, I really just love ALL books. I've got a section for everything. I try collect little doo-dads to sit on the shelves next to different categories. Like little toy wind-up robots in the sci-fi section, magnets and a tiny bird's next with eggs over in science...you get the idea. Although I've got a lot of that stuff packed up for now, my new house (which has been put on hold because of this stupid housing crisis) will give me a LOT more room for my books to stretch out. In the meantime I can't resist still collecting little shelf adornments even if I don't have the room to put them out just yet. Patios: I grow succulents and love putting them in whimsical containers. I also grow tropicals in my front yard and outside my bedroom. I love decorating my patios and have just recently purged all the "cutesy" garden decor (think ladybugs, froggies, fairies, etc.) for a more classic look. I still have a few little whimsical touches here and there, but I try not to overdo the cutesy.

I love music, but I'm sort of picky (read: music snob). If it's funny/silly there's a good chance I'll like it. I love the old standards and very early country and cowboy songs (not present-day country), weird, but complex stuff like Primus and the Melvins and "stoner rock" like Fu Manchu and Clutch (thanks to my husband who has been on this several-year long kick where he hardly listens to anything else and, by the way, neither of us are stoners and the musicians aren't either. It's just an unfortunate label). I love, love, love children's music and have a pretty decent collection going on. Good, old folk is another passion - from scratchy recordings from the 20's and earlier through to the 40's and early 50's...much beyond that and it gets a little too hippyish for me. Of course, I gotta have my punk rock, too! Favorites include Guttermouth, the Vandals, DI, NOFX (early especially)...notice a trend? FUNNY! Early 80's stuff like the Sparks and the Waitresses and the GoGo's and the B-52's float my boat, too. Oh, and who doesn't love classic pop stuff from the 50's and 60's? Classic rock, too. I pretty much like everything EXCEPT R&B, rap (although I do break out Eazy-E and Snoop when I'm in the mood, but that's not all that often), disco (with a few classic exceptions), modern pop, pretty much any of the popular stuff being put out today...those are genres I'm not fond of...I know I'm difficult when it comes to music. I can't help it! P.S. I am in the stone ages and do not listen to my iPod for anything other than an occasional audio book. I use CDs...those round shiny things. P.S.S. Check out Pandora.Com - a free web radio deal where you put in a band and they will play other stuff you might like. It's genius and they've got SO MUCH STUFF.

I love to read. I read every single night; I can't sleep otherwise. I pretty much stick to fantasy, science fiction, and horror. I like Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Bentley Little, Stephen King, and Terry Pratchett in particular, plus a whole slew of others, but those I check regularly for new work. I collect children's books. I like young adult novels that feature unique fantasy themes, like the Overlander series, the Abhorssen books, Peter and the Starcatchers, The Witch's Boy...things like that. I have been on a post-apocalyptic fiction kick lately. I also like reference books and trivia books. I tend to hoard books on all kinds of subjects. I like collecting old magazines and newspapers (late 1800's- 1950's). I subscribe to Mother Earth News, Mental_Floss, Vegetarian Times, Discover, Natural Health, Make, Purely Delicious (raw foods) and I am thinking about getting Reader's Digest...do they still print that?

I pretty much watch anything, but I especially like movies geared towards children. I'm not sure what that says about me. I like science fiction and fantasy movies, too. And horror, but my husband hates horror movies and I don't like to watch them alone so I only see the ones he'll indulge me in. I collect documentaries, post-apocalyptic films, zombie movies, and holiday movies.

My first impulse is to write "Oh, we don't watch too much TV" when asked this question, but then I think about all the crap I Tivo and how we pretty much end every day by watching something, then I guess TV is a pretty big part of our lives, even if it's just for an hour or two each day. Here's what's currently on Tivo: Jeopardy, Ace of Cakes (Mary Alice is my hero), 30 Rock, The Office, My Name is Earl, Wife Swap, Supernanny, Trading Spaces, What Not to Wear, South Park (favorite television program of all time), Lost, Reno 911 (when it's on...I don't know what's up with these five show "seasons" these days), Dirty Jobs, MythBusters, and, um...Rock of Love and Flavor of Love (shhh don't tell anyone!).

I have tons of craft POTENTIAL and supplies. Everything's been packed away for the last year and a half while we've been waiting to move (long story). I do still dabble with papercrafts and pretty much anything I have is going to be embellished with stickers or drawings or ribbons or something. I enjoy writing, even if it's just lists or phone messages, so I have a bunch of pens and different notepads. I collect stationery and notecards, yet I hardly ever write to anyone (hint hint potential pen pals!) because everyone I know is so close and I see them all the time! I occasionally do ceramics since my mom has a huge studio. I like collecting clippings of neat images I find. I collect cool fabric, buttons, pretty much anything to do with crafts, really. .

-I generally do not wear any cosmetic, beauty product, or perfume that is not 100% natural or that contains animal products (I do make exception to some honey and/or beeswax products). This can be tricky to determine so it might be best to leave beauty products off any gift list you might be making for me unless you're really sure it fits my criteria. Thank you for understanding!

-I am equally picky with my food. If I eat packaged foods I make sure they have ingredients that are recognizable, are vegan, and aren't synthetic (like articificial sweeteners or high fructose corn syrup). Again, thanks for understanding my quirks!

-I love adding little details to my home decor. Please see the above descriptions of my home for ideas on what I like!

-I really love vintage kitchen stuff. The 1890's - early 50's are my favorite decades. I like old adverts, pharmacy (health and beauty aids) bottles and labels, fruit crate labels (especially from California and even more especially from the Inland Empire, but I do love and collect them all - favorite labels to collect are cowboy/Indian/old west themed, anthropomorphic miscellania such as salt and pepper shakers, little knick-knacks or figurines, or other junk that has a cute little face (especially veggies), vintage kitchen utensils and decor, tea towels, tablecoths, and vintage California items.

-I don't like a lot of modern stuff for home decor, but I do like graphic prints in my stationery and anything else to do with writing and correspondence(journals, notecards, stickers, etc.). I like vintage and kitschy/shabby chic with that stuff, too...anything goes when it comes to stationery! I am a paper/notecard FIEND!

-I love vintage robots.

-I love office supplies.

-I collect vintage Republican/GOP stuff like buttons and little elephant pins and the like. Yes, that's right. I said Republican. Don't hate!

-I love picture frames, especially those that go with my themes.

-I collect vintage Mexican-themed items (think sombreros, little guys taking siestas, donkeys, etc. to put in my succulent garden!

-As far as dress and my personal style go, I'm pretty normal. I don't really wear anything too flashy or trendy. My hairs just shoulder length so I don't wear any hair doo-dads except decorated bobby pins and kerchiefs/bandanas for when I'm working in the yard. I'm a pretty downhome kind of girl. I'm not nearly as hip as most of the Swap-Bot community!

-I am not a fan of undersea life unless it's a random cute little octopus or crab or something. But stuff like dolphins and tropical fish really do nothing for me.

-I love and collect all kinds of little woodland themed items. I especially like cute little squirrels, owls, racoons, and bears (real bears, not teddy bears).

-I like to write with extra fine point black ink pens.

-I collect vintage planters and other neat little, creative objects I can plant my succulents in.

-I do not drink alcohol.

-I do not have tattoos or piercings.

-I don't really wear jewelry. I do change my earrings occasionally. I like small studs or little dangling earrings - nothing obnoxious.

-I like totes and purses that fit my tastes.

-I travel a lot. Mostly road trips! We usually go places where we can explore the local history or see scenic views. Old west towns are a favorite. The town of Bodie is probably one of the coolest places I've ever been. http://www.bodie.com/ Yellowstone also rocked really hard.

-I like to stay organized and tidy. That doesn't mean I AM organized and tidy. It's something I strive for and am always starting new projects to get my household in better order.

-I am a strict vegetarian (no meat, dairy, eggs, or other animal products, although I do make exceptions for some bee products) and generally like pro-vegetarian/vegan themed things.

-I usually do not like commercial characters/cartoony/Disney stuff. Think Spongebob, Nightmare before Xmas, Strawberry Shortcake...just not my style. I cannot resist the charms of Sanrio, though, so Hello Kitty and her pals are okay (especially Keroppi and Chococat) as are most of your kawaii stuff that isn't too weird.

-I am into health and nutrition. I collect recipes and cookbooks. I love vintage (1940's and earlier) cookbooks.

-There are a lot of other details about my likes/dislikes in other parts of my profile so please check the whole thing out!

Have a lovely day!