Lonestarchild

Aug 14: I'm away for the week. Everything has gone out but I won't be able to rate or reply to messages until 8/ 21. Thanks!

Update Jan. 25, 2017: We have a family emergency and we're returning to the States indefinitely. I've changed my address to the US and will send everything before we leave here. All mail sent to Malta will be forwarded to the US.

2016 was a wild ride. We rang in the New Year on holiday in Thailand and then returned to our home in Cambodia. In March, we had to return to the US on an emergency basis to care for my elderly parents. We spent 5 months in Texas getting my mom through multiple surgeries and my dad settled in a nursing facility. We left the US at the beginning of September and have now settled into our new home in Gozo, Malta. We're adjusting to life on a small island again. In case you've never heard of it (most haven't), Gozo is 1 of 3 islands of the country of Malta -- it's in the Med Sea, just south of Italy. Prior to last year in Cambodia, we lived in Vanuatu (a little island in the South Pacific) for 3 years. We've also lived in the US, Australia, Tanzania, and Ghana.

Other than being constantly in need of new luggage, I'm an American child rights lawyer and researcher. When I practiced law in the US, I prosecuted child abuse and neglect cases. After I left practice, I was a law school professor for almost 20 years and taught child welfare courses. Now, I'm semi-retired and mostly research and write on street kid and child labor issues.

My teenage daughter and I travel ALOT. She has a bucket list of places to check off before she goes to college. She's 15 and on her third passport! So far, shes managed to check off 22 countries.

I'm an artist wannabe. I don't have any special talent but I quilt, sew, do various kinds of needlework and have lately gotten into paper crafts.

1980 hair bands. Shameful but true.

Huge reader. We've spent most of the last 10 years living in developing countries where there is no such thing as TV -- that suits us fine because we are readers. I'm currently into the Outlander series, but I also like any historical fiction and lawyer/legal thrillers.

I also spend way more time than I should on Crosswords!

Random things that make me happy:

1. smell of new books
2. envies -- handmade and plain color storebought to decorate
3. pens & paper and stationary & stickers
4. beads & sequins & ribbons and funny/unusual things to attach to mixed media pieces of art
5. washi
6. handknitted socks!
7. Crossword puzzles! (in the US: the ones from the Dollar Store make me happy! Also happy with freebies from the paper, just also include the answers please because I cheat.)
8. new/unused postcards (not tourist ones) -- it is nice to have some on hand that are not tourist
9. blank journals/notebooks - especially ones with recycled paper...pages are a little rough like newspaper, not slick & shiny
10. handmade pottery -- tiles and plates
11. Nancy Drew
12. Wooden spoons
13. bags -- any kind: small ones for pens and such and tote bags...all kinds of bags (fabric & leather, but not plastic)

Things I can happily live without:

1. almost all the isms,
2. crimes against kids,
3. horror/gothic/vampire/scary stuff,
4. smelly lotions & potions,
5. tv,
6. spicy food,
7. caffeine free coke,
8. coffee,
9. cold weather,
10. make-up,
11. high heels,
12. fridge magnets, shot glasses, tourist spoons/thimbles, keychains and that sort of thing (even if it is a "requirement" of the swap -no sense wasting your money on it!),
13. Hello Kitty and that sort of thing

IF YOU DON'T GET SOMETHING FROM ME, LET ME KNOW PLEASE.

Postcard Wishlist: Given the option, I'd rather they blank/unused in an envie but naked is fine too. I don't really care what kind of card, but my most favorite are ones with children on them. I also really like interesting images, watercolors, birds, books, maps, animals, clocks....

Not a fan of tourist cards.

No Religious, Rude, Crude, or Mean cards please.

I like to recycle stuff -- Please don't be offended if I use newspapers or mag pages or other interesting materials for envies and mailers. Thanks!

** Please use the messaging system on SB and not my email account. My email is subject to review by third parties and I'd much rather my personal stuff not mix with my work stuff. Thank you!