MommyKnows

Hello fellow swappers! I am 53 years old, divorced, have 2 grown daughters and 3 grandchildren. I work full time in a switch factory. I drive a beat up old mini van with bumperstickers that say: "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention" and "Don't assume I share your prejudice"

I am a bibliophile, biblioholic, bibliomanic! I love books and everything about them. I love reading them and sharing them and buying them and holding them and the smell of them and... ahhhhh! It's a sickness you know!
BOOKMARKS delight me! ... paper ones, plastic ones, photo ones, artistic ones, the free kind you get from your local library or book store, advertising ones, handmade ones, old ones, new ones... all of them!

I like Native American things and attending PowWows. I have a tattoo of a turtle with a Medicine Wheel in the center of its back, symbolizing Unity and the spiritual link between man, earth and the creator; the circle of life that connects us all. "Mitakuye Oyasin" (we are all related).

I have recently started aquiring fountain pens and related accessories. I'm not sure you could call me a collector, but the interest is there. I love the different inks and like to see different handwriting done with fountain pens.

I love Quotes and I have started keeping a book of quotes that I want to remember. Such as: "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit" -Megan (6 yrs old) Or, "I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow, than a man swear he loves me" -Beatrice (Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing)

I like notecards and I like stationery sets. I love swapping 'em for the variety.

I enjoy wit and humor. Sarcasm delights me! A little good-natured bantering back and forth is good for the soul. (and it cracks me up!)

I like words and puzzles but I'm not too much into the Sudoku puzzles... mostly word puzzles, trivia, logic problems, cryptos, and crossword puzzles. I like to put together an occassional jigsaw puzzle too.

I'm NOT into make-up or perfumed things, or lip stuff, or nail stuff, or anything else "foofy"! I don't wear jewelry and my hair is extra short, so no clips, headbands, etc. I have too many other things I'd rather do than stand in front of a mirror and primp.

That goes for housework too. There's so much else to do with my time. Besides, I've only lived here in this house for about 6 years... it surely couldn't be dirty yet!

I find recycled and repurposed crafts interesting and fun. I like to see how unusual and creative people can be by recycling anything they find into something cool.

I enjoy making greeting cards, postcards and bookmarks.

I started collecting business cards. Especially the ones with neat graphics and art. They're free and I try to pick up a couple where ever I go and exchange them. So, pick up a few and pass 'em on!

• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Huckleberry Finn
• Hamlet
• Song of Solomon
• The Kite Runner
• The Secret Life of Bees
• The Book Thief
• The Time Traveler's Wife
• When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
• The Wednesday Wars
• The Great Brain books
• Sooooooo many more!

• The Green Mile
• Corrina Corrina
• The Wizard of Oz
• Most Musicals
• Most Disney
• Diary of a Mad Black Woman
• Madea's Family Reunion
• Pay it Forward
• Phenomenon
• Powder
• Rennaisance Man
• With Honors
• Bucket List

• Postcards; most anything... view cards and scenery are my LEAST favorite
• Ephemera; vintage images, clearly stamped images, paper swatches, ticket stubs, postage stamps, tags, old sewing patterns
• Fabric; anything 100% cotton for quilting, homespun, any retro or vintage prints, batiks, muslin, love paisely
• Selvages
• Pieces of old sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, skirts, dresses, jeans, curtains, bedspreads... about anything (except knits) that you can get a good sized hunk out of for repurposing.
• Sewing notions
• Fibers and Ribbons
• Embellishments
• Buttons
• Charms
• Jump rings
• Craft wire
• Unusual beads
• Ideas for, and Examples of repurposing anything (not just sewing)

• Doodling
• Sewing
• Quilting
• Rubber Stamping
• Greeting card and Postcard making
• Collages
• Crochet
• CrossStitch
• Repurposing
• Zentangles and Zendalas
• ATC's
• Matchboxes
• Skinnys
• Chunky books
• Altered Rolos
• Altered books
• Button Fairies are my next new try

• autumn
• bookmarks
• Shakespeare
• fountain pens / inks
• poetry
• aprons
• flowers
• coffee & tea
• rich textures and deep colors
• soft muted effects and pastels
• earth tones
• quote books
• STOMP
• things that match
• things that don't match
• stillness
• the smell of fresh cut grass
• handmade things
• ephemera

• Flakers
• People who don't wash their hands after they use the restroom.
• Chewing gum stuck anywhere it doesn't belong, i.e. under tables, under chairs.
• Telemarketers
• Those 'strings' attached to a banana when you try to peel it.
• People who wear WAY TOO MUCH cologne.
• Litter
• People who don't clean up after their dogs when they walk them (especially in MY yard).
• People blowing their nose at the table.
• The way they seal music CDs in the USA, besides the cello-wrap they put that annoying tape strip at the top INSIDE the wrapping :::sheeeesh:::
• Bigotry

I love early morning! I love to get up early and drink a pot of coffee out on my front porch at the break of dawn.

Spending the day cruising the thrift stores, tag sales, rummage sales, flea markets, is a really good day!

Another good day would be cruising the used book stores, Barnes & Noble, Borders, the library. An all day book soak!

One of the best days is Photo day... take the day off from work, take the camera, and go picture hunting. Point and click until the batteries wear out!

Another favorite day for me is just stay-home-and-dink-around day. Doing what ever I feel like; alone and uninterrupted all day! ahhhhhh!

A day at the Apple Orchard (especially with my daughters or best friend). Take pictures, sample their warm cider donuts, buy the crafts, smell the autumn scents, listen to the bluegrass band, ride the wagon through the orchard, run through the corn maze, pick berries, taste the best apples EVER! mmmmm, JonaGold and HoneyCrisp!

• cigarette smells
• pet odors / hair
• scented things
• make-up items
• jewelry
• food / candy
• hair accessories

• first morning light
• a kind word or act
• coffee & tea
• fabric swatches
• STOMP
• aprons
• a young person with manners!!!
• advertisements painted on cars
• a purple iris
• a well turned phrase
• a bright sunny day with a cool breeze
• solitude
• the punch line
• the warm crackle of a fireplace
• nicknames
• WELL DONE graffiti and street art (not the trashy stuff)
• monkeys
• did I mention BOOKMARKS? :)