moonswings

Hi - I'm Katherine! I'm in my early 40's and I'm the proud wife (of almost 15 years) of an Army Reserve officer who's being deployed to the Middle East in January 2010 for an 18 month tour. Have you thanked a soldier lately for sacrificing his or her life back home in order to serve your country?

I'm also a mom to two geriatric (yet rambunctious) beagle-beasties named Chuck & Chippie.

I live in Michigan, which is lovely in the spring, summer and fall; but I hate Michigan's long, cold and gray winters - they can be very depressing for someone like me who hates the cold and has zero interest in snow/ice sports - so if you're my swap partner during the months of November through April, PLEASE send me some sunshine!!! :-)

I'm an artist by trade and a teacher by necessity (art hasn't been paying the bills lately). I substitute teach for the local schools; I teach arts and genealogy classes for our local Community Recreation & Education department; and I'm also a "pretend patient" for the University of Michigan Medical School - I fake an illness, and the med students have to try to correctly diagnose it (remember that Seinfield episode with Kramer and gonorrhea???).

I was born to be an artist. My first memory of playing with art is being 3 years old and coming across a bottle of Elmer's glue and a jar of multi-colored glitter. I snuck both into my bedroom, tipped the glue upside down, and watched in amazement as it pooled into a palm-sized puddle on the shag carpeting. After rubbing it deeper into the carpet, I added a healthy sprinkling of the glitter, rubbed THAT deeper into the carpet, and was delighted at the resulting creation! Needless to say, my mother’s reaction was less than positive when she discovered the dried clump a few days later - SORRY, MOM!!! :)

More than 35 years later, I STILL can’t get enough of glitter, and I've developed a magnificent passion for paper along the way, as well. It doesn't matter that I have more than a few thousand different kinds of paper already - if it's a new one that I don't have yet, I MUST have it! :)

Other than art, I also love researching genealogy for myself and my clients; traveling overseas and visiting art museums, antique shops, and cafes; and I REALLY love animals of all furry persuasions (except furry spiders).

I hope to have my own petting zoo someday, even though hubby insists he'll never be a country guy. I refuse to give up my dream, though!

I aspire to be a gardener, and I've always fantasized of strolling through a meadow filled with flowers, wearing a long, flowing gown and a floppy straw hat, swinging a straw basket at my side, filling it with fresh flowers... but alas, the only plants that grow in my garden are those that thrive on neglect - who knew tomatoes & basil could grow under those conditions? My summer pasta sauces are amazing! :)

I studied music in undergrad with a 4-year scholarship, and I still enjoy composing music in a classical style for piano, solo voice, choirs and orchestras.

I also enjoy listening to classical music, and I'm basically contemporary-music illiterate. I have NO idea who's popular these days in pop, rock, country, folk, rap, etc. But I can talk about Bach, Brahms, Beethoven and Vivaldi for hours! :)

Another kind of music I really enjoy is classic jazz, especially the old-style vocalists like Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong, and their peers.

I LOVE reading contemporary fiction, love, Love, LOVE it! One of the pleasures that hubby and I share is a love of reading before bed (I imagine that'll change if we ever become parents).

I read an average of two novels a week, and I especially enjoy reading mysteries that are categorized as either psychological thrillers or archeological thrillers (Dan Brown, etc).

I don't like true crime, horror, or vampire/fantasy books, though. I just get too scared, too quickly & easily. Suspense I can handle, but blood & gore? Not so much.

Three of my most favorite books so far are "The Shadow Of The Wind," "The Thirteenth Tale," and "The Time Traveler's Wife." Loved them immensely.

I also love the novels of Dan Brown; Mary Higgins Clark; Jonathan Kellerman; Wally Lamb; Jodi Picoult; Anita Shreve; Nicholas Sparks; Stephen White

Papercrafts are, by far, my very favorite, and I make LOTS of ATCs, greeting cards, handmade books, and altered books. In fact, I teach classes on making ATCs, hamdmade books, art journals, and altered books - how cool is that? I get paid to play!

I've been making large abstract art pieces by collaging some of my favorite handmade and specialty papers, focusing more on the colors and textures than the overall design.

I also enjoy crocheting, and often have a blanket project in progress (which I tend to work on only when we're traveling and I'm stuck in a car).

I recently discovered loom knitting - and I'm hooked (ha ha!). I've been making scarves and hats and now I'm going to try my hand at an afghan on the loom - so if you know of any easy patterns for knitting a loom afghan, let me know! :)

A Beautiful Mind; As Good As It Gets; Alvin and the Chipmunks; Bambi; The Birdcage; Brother Bear; O Brother Where Art Thou; Catch Me If You Can; Catch And Release; Chicken Run; Dan In Real Life; The Davinci Code; Dr. Dolittle 1 & 2; Erin Brockovich; 50 First Dates; Evan Almighty; Forrest Gump; The 40 Year Old Virgin; Four Weddings And A Funeral; Fun With Dick And Jane; Ice Age 1 & 2; Jerry Maguire; Knocked Up; Leatherheads; The Little Mermaid; Little Miss Sunshine; Love Actually; Mamma Mia; Meet The Fockers; Meet The Parents; Miss Congeniality 1 & 2; Miss Pettigrew for a Day; Mona Lisa Smile; My Best Friend's Wedding; My Big Fat Greek Wedding; The Notebook; Notting Hill; Oceans 11-13; Over The Hedge; Patch Adams; The Piano; Pocahontas; The Polar Express; Prancer; Roman Holiday, Runaway Bride; Shine; The Sound Of Music; Stuart Little; There's Something About Mary; The Truman Show; Whale Rider

As Time Goes By (BBC), Big Bang Theory; Foyle's War (PBS); How I Met Your Mother; Big Love; Mad Money; Rick Steves' travel programs (PBS); Sopranos; The Office; The Vicar of Dibley (BBC), Weeds

ANIMALS: dogs, elephants, pigs

COLORS: deep jewel-toned shades of amethyst, sapphire, ruby and emerald (not a fan of pastels)

CRAFT SUPPLIES: rich, luxurious ribbons and fibers, beautifully textured papers, sophisticated stickers and die-cuts, laser printed clip art collage sheets, vintage laces

DRINKS: Coffee, Spiced Chai Tea, Hot Buttered Rum, all varieties of teas from around the world

HOLIDAY: Christmas, but I'm not Christian. I just love the holiday cheer, the reds & golds, the candles & lights, the Christmas tree & greens on the fireplace mantles, the carols... I love it all!

SCENTS: warm fall scents (toasted hazelnut, cinnamon spice, pumpkin, etc)

VACATION SPOT: Venice, Italy

I scare easily, and I really do not like things that might be considered scary or macabre, especially old doll faces - some of them REALLY FREAK ME OUT! Actually, all toys/stuffed animals with pointy teeth or horns or scary eyes just give me the creeps!

I'm also totally freaked out by bugs, robots, skulls, skeletons, vampires, witches... Yeah, I'm a wimp, but I'm okay with that. And yes, I have a therapist to help me work through my neuroses. Thanks for your concern. :-)

I'm also not much of a fan of cutesy or cartoon-y things like Hello Kitty or Kawaii or anything featuring tons of pastel colors.

And I really hate the smell of cigarette smoke on things that get mailed to me, so I usually just throw it right into the trash. Sorry - it's not that I judge smokers, it's just that I can't stand the smell.