Love2Teach

What I Pledged

And you should too!!

The first thing you need to know about me is that I love Jesus Christ. I am a Christian, a Baptist to be exact. My favorite Bible passage is: I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Jeremiah 29:11

The second thing you need to know about me is that I am open to other religions, beliefs and ways of living. I would never debate the Bible or my religion with someone unless they asked me too. I would never push my religion onto someone either. But, with that being said, I would hope for the same with other people. And, if you have questions about my religion and beliefs, feel free to ask me!

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I always send my swaps and I usually send very early on in the swap. If you do not get a swap from me, please contact me so we can make a game plan.

I always rate the swaps I receive when I receive them. If you have sent me an item and I haven't rated it, please get in touch with me.

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I recently earned my bachelor's of science in Elementary Education and I love to teach!

I am allergic to shellfish and wool. So if I am in any craft swaps or food swaps with you, **please** keep these allergies in mind.

I got married in August 2008 to my soul mate and the man of my dreams. We have 4 furbabies, 2 dogs and 2 cats. Sidka is a mini american eskimo, Jo Jo is a rat terrier, Ginny is a DSH Tortie and Pooka is a DSH calico.

I like to read almost anything I can get my hands on. Sometimes I write, I have to be in the mood for it. I use the internet a lot of the time. (What can I say, I'm a domestic house goddess!) I love making new friends near and far.

My favorite color is purple. I also like turquoise blue colors (my wedding colors were a light pool blue). Cream colors are nice too. I really like chocolate brown and chocolate combos that are "in" right now, like teal and brown, purple and brown, etc.

Right now our living room is a mesh (or mess) of blues, greens and creams (some of it was my mother's some of it is ours). Our bedroom is blue and chocolate brown. Those are the only two rooms that actually have a color theme. Eventually, I would love to have a Coca-Cola themed kitchen (think RED).

I live in Maine, so I've got it all: beaches, coast lines and the ocean; lakes, streams and rivers; Mountains, gorgeous state parks and back roads. The only thing we're missing is large cities and I'm okay with that.

I'm a huge NASCAR fan. My favorite drivers are Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne. I'm also on the pit crew for a local driver. We race all over New England and into Canada.

I love chocolate. Almost daily I call my husband at work and ask him to bring me home a chocolate bar! Chocolate and sweets don't last very long in our house!! I especially love chocolate turtles and chocolate milk. I could live on those two things alone! And of course I love M & M's!! Who on this world can love Kyle Busch and not crave M & M's or Snickers while watching him race?

As I said, I love reading. My favorite authors are JK Rowling, Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Picoult and Alice Sebold. I also enjoy cookbooks! Even though these are my favorite authors, it doesn't mean I have read all their works. I wish I could say I have! I know JK Rowling's work inside and out. And I used to be able to say the same for Nicholas Sparks. But then somewhere along the road I started reading more and more children's novels and I stopped paying attention to the author (woops!). I'm not into harlequin romance type books. I prefer the subtle romance (like Nicholas Sparks). I like a good mystery book, but not something scary. I don't enjoy Stephan King, yes he's from Maine, but he's a big weirdo...(sorry if I offended you). If you're in a swap with me that requires sending a book, please check out my amazon wish list for ideas. The link is at the top of the page.

The only piece of jewelry I wear most days is my engagement ring. Sometimes I wear one necklace or my mother's pearl ring. I like simplicity in jewelry. Classic, small pieces are my favorite. My mother gave me a white gold ring that had small diamonds and a tanzanite stone for my HS graduation. When we moved back into my child hood home, I lost this ring. If I could find a copy-cat of the ring or something similar I would love it.

I can't keep an inside plant alive to save my life. Only cacti survive in our household. I can however keep plants alive if they're outside. My mother planted rose bushes around our house and now I take care of them. I also planted 3 more rose bushes last year, I hope they bloom this year. I love daisies (daisies have a special place in my heart because that is what my wedding bouquet was made out of) and phlox. I also really like sun flowers. This year will be the second year I try to grow them. Last year it didn't work!

Bucket List

These are just a few of the things that are on my bucket list. Some of these things are also on my husbands list. The list is in no particular order.

• Take a long term vacation to Alaska.
• Teach in the Alaskan Bush
• Have my own classroom
• Be an inspiration for a student
• Be a mommy
• Go to Niagara Falls again and go to the top of the Skylon tower this time.
• Get my Masters Degree
• Make a quilt
• Learn to Crochet
• Help DH start his own business
• Write a children's book and have it published
• Travel around the US with a camper in tow
• Visit all of the Continental USA
• Teach my husband how to cook
• Find or have someone make a wedding band that curves the same way as my engagement ring
• Visit the Sequoya National Forest

I love my mac lap top. It's one of my favorite things in the world!!

I have a soft heart for cats and dogs. I can't resist puppy eyes!

"It's hard to say goodbye/ Her picture in my mind/ Will always be of times I'll cherish/ And I won't cry 'cause/

She flew up to Heaven on the wings of angels/ By the clouds and stars and passed where no one sees/ And she walks with Jesus and her loved ones waiting/ And I know she's smiling saying/ Don't worry 'bout me" (AJ)

Love and Miss you Mom.

Random Facts About Me I like gummy bears, I don't like gummy worms (unless they're in dirt pudding). I've met Aaron Shust. I'm a teacher. I love all things purple. My favorite drink is water with lemon. I like cooking and baking. My mom was the best cook ever. I am married. I want children, but I don't have any yet. I like the calm of a drive in the country. I love ice cream. I don't watch TV a lot. I like crafting. I live in th house I grew up in. I really like Jelly Belly Jelly beans, they're the only kind of jelly beans I actually like. I love lady bugs. I worked at an all girls summer camp the same summer I met my husband. I love Italian food. I love the Maine coast. I have 4 nieces and nephews. My kids will go to the same schools I went to. I'm a college graduate. I support Mental Health Research. My favorite kind of chocolate is Lindt's White Chocolate and Coconut bar. I get motion sickness easily. I prefer wearing flip flops. I hate it when people don't use their blinker. I don't consume alcohol or caffeine (except for when I eat chocolate). I've never smoked a cigarette in my life. I have two crab apple trees in my back yard in memory of my parents. I like going to craft fairs with my husband. One of my favorite movies is Fireproof.

I love opening the mailbox and seeing a package or mail that is NOT bills or junk mail! I generally just love snail mail, so I'm willing to swap most things, give me ideas and I'll go from there!!

• Water erasable markers for fabric (thin line)
• Retractable fabric tape measures
• pin cushions
• sewing pins
• seam ripper
• white sewing thread
• clear sewing thread
• metal bobbins
• I can always use fabric yardage (I like 1/2 yard to 1 yard lengths, but fat quarters are good too)
• Baby themed fat quarters. Neutral patterns would be nice. (anything with bumble bees is especially helpful!!)
• Sewing notions
• blank recipe cards
• Purple 100% cotton yarn
• Peaches and Creme 100% cotton yarn in Teal Variegated
• I received some of the new Sharpie pens in a swap and I am addicted to them--I would love more!!
• deer antlers and/or bully sticks for my doggies (but no rawhides please!)
• knitted or crocheted 100% cotton dish cloths
• classroom/teacher supplies
• teacher sticker sheets
• decent children's books (in very good condition)
• Reproducible classroom activity books (in good condition)
• Pencils (both mechanical and regular, I rather use mechanical, but I prefer students use regular)
• Pens (no sparkle pens please) I especially love RSVP pens
• high lighters
• recipes
• Kidlets for my classroom!
• Michael Miller fabric in these prints: Messy Hands, Funny Flowers, Lively Letters, Silly Stripe & Splat.
• Kyle Busch car magnet
• Dale JR fleece with his new number, 88 (at least 1/2 a yard)
• Build a Bear gift certificates
• Wal-Mart Gift certificates
• Olive Garden Gift Certificates
• Lindt chocolate (white chocolate & coconut is my favorite, mint chocolate is hubs favorite!!)
• How to Crochet book
• apron sewing patterns
• burp cloth sewing patterns
• easy/simple/one day sewing patterns
• Purple nail polish
• Cream color nail polish
• sugar free hard candy (no licorice flavors)
• a lady bug Amigurumi
• handmade morsbags

And check out my Amazon Wish list of course

I love to knit. I taught myself by watching videos a few years ago. I'm still trying to teach myself how to crochet, but it's frustrating.

I love, love, love to cook, is that considered a craft?

I hand sew and machine sew. I like making cat and dog goodies for the local Humane Society. I make homemade gifts for baby showers--such as burp cloths, onesies, blankets and diaper bags.

I'm attracted to Mandalas and when I'm stressed it helps me to color them.

I do digital scrap booking, regular scrap booking and I sometimes enjoy a little card making too. I like using recycled goods in crafts. I'm really into the idea of swapping recipe scrap book pages, but have yet to try it!

What I can Send you

• Wedding planning books in decent (used) shape
• Ribbon (lots of organza)
• Yarn (name a color, I have tons, just no wool)
• Cotton Fabric (again, name a color)
• Family Fun magazines
• Gently Used Taste of Home magazines
• Silver Linked Heart Cake topper (For wedding or anniversary) by Wilton
• Maine Postcards
• New England Postcards
• Countless Recipes
• Cat nip and cat nip toys
• knitted dish cloths
• knitted scarves
• Embroidery floss (name a color)
• Blank (uncolored) mandalas
• Pull tab tops
• handmade tote bags
• baby burp cloths
• profile surprises

I collect fabric. I love bright colors. I have to stay away from fabric stores because I have too much already! I'm always willing to swap fabric! I love getting new fabric, cotton is my first choice. I'm allergic to wool, so please don't send anything that contains wool! I like blues and purples. I love stripes, polka dots, and swirls. I don't like neon colors, but something colorful is nice.

I love cooking and I love sharing recipes. Before my mother passed away, I asked her to get me a recipe box and to fill it with index cards of all my favorite recipes growing up. I use this weekly, it's such a dear item to me. If we ever were to have a house fire (hubs is a volunteer firefighter!) I'd grab that recipe box first thing!

As a teacher, I constantly have a tight budget. I would love to swap teaching/classroom supplies with other teachers. Stickers, funky paper clips, memo pads, etc. just shoot me an idea!

I like anything Maine or Alaska. I am a Mainer, so that's obvious. Something about Alaska has always intrigued me, I'm not sure what or why.

My husband collects Coca~Cola (Coke) things. Eventually, when we have our new house built, I would love to have a Coke themed kitchen!

I don't have many dislikes.

I prefer items come from a non-smoking home, or do not smell strongly of cigarette smoke or perfumes. Certain smells can trigger a headache for me.

I'm allergic to shell fish and wool. If you're sending me a recipe it would be nice if it didn't contain shell fish as an ingredient because I wouldn't make the recipe. If you're doing a crafty swap with me, please be aware I am allergic to wool. I get hives when it makes contact with my skin! Yuck!

If you're in a recipe swap with me that includes sending beverages, please do not send alcoholic recipes. Both my husband and I do not drink!

Big beads/big jewelry are a turn off.

I don't like licorice or licorice flavored items.

The only nuts I like are peanuts and almonds, all others are no nos.

I don't care for ATCs, Inchies, Kawaii or Dotee Dolls. (Sorry!)

I don't care for the colors hot pink (soft pinks are nice), yellow and some shades of orange (think hunter orange=no!).

I don't care for bugs or insects of any kind. Especially live! Except I like pretty butterflies (not cutesy ones), lady bugs and dragonflies.

I like ribbon, but I like wider selections. I use ribbon as handles on tote bags, the wider the better.

I HATE Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon! If you send me something Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordon related I will most likely re-gift it or trash it! (Probably trash it!! lol)

I hated typing this because I feel like I'm being rude!

I want to learn how to quilt.

I would love for someone to teach me how to crochet!

I would also like to learn how to make handmade envelopes! (check! Thanks @Funkhoup !)

Making beads with sculpey or polymer clay.

How to knit Amigurumis.

I can teach you:

• the basics of knitting
• how to knit a scarf
• how to make a fleece scarf
• how to make knitted dish cloths
• scrap booking
• card making
• how to hand sew
• how to make no sew fleece blankets and pillows
• how to make herbal rice packs
• how to create doggy bandannas
• how to make friendship bracelets
• how to make your own grocery bags
• how to use a mac (!!)

This section is for Flakers and Non-Raters that I've encountered.

@Skirts -this person is now partially suspended and has 8 ones, who knows how many no sends in all.

@Twerlz -lists name as "First Last" and PO Box info as "PO Box +++". Beware!!

@postalmomma -Flaked on my Handmade Handbags Swap. I am angeling for her partner. Later, she told me her mother passed away and the swap seemed insignificant. I understand the pain of losing a mother, I lost mine almost 2 years ago and my husband lost his almost 4 years ago). But, I feel that when you sign up for a swap you sign up for a commitment and if something happens, like all commitments in life, you need to let people know what's going on. A simple PM to her partner could have saved time, trouble and her ratings.