Love2Teach

What I Pledged

And you should too!!

I reuse packaging and envelopes! (I miss that badge!)

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

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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 am a teacher and I love to teach!

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

I have been doing Weight Watchers for almost a year. I am just getting back into swapping recipes. If you're sending a recipe and you know the weight watchers points plus values for each serving, please include it! If you know the nutritional information, please include it!

I got married in August 2008 to my soul mate and the man of my dreams. We have 5 furbabies, 2 dogs and 3 cats. Sidka is a mini american eskimo, Jo Jo is a rat terrier, Ginny is a DSH Tortie, Pooka is a DSH calico, Phineas is a DSH Tiger cat.

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.

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 driver is Kyle Busch.

I love chocolate.

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 (check)
• 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. 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
• white 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
• 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
• 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
• recipes (especially ones from Sandra Lee)
• Kidlets for my classroom!
• Lindt chocolate (white chocolate & coconut is my favorite, mint chocolate is hubs favorite!!)
• easy/simple/one day sewing patterns
• 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)
• 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
• Craft Thread (name a color)
• Blank (uncolored) mandalas
• Pull tab tops (just let me know 2 weeks before hand and I'll collect them from my husband's Coca~Cola cans)
• handmade tote bags (Mors Bags)
• baby burp cloths
• profile surprises
• Scentsy samples and scent cubes!

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.

*Note: I recently received a 1. I sent the swap and I'm not sure what happened...I have no explanation! I'm working on getting my rating back up, although it will never be perfect again. :(

@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.