I misplanned swaps again and may be late on a few. I'm greatly sorry and will work on getting time-sensitive ones out as soon as possible!

I'm not signing up for any swaps after December because my baby is due mid-January. With this being my first child, I'm not sure when I'll have time to swap after that. The only exception will be the Friendship afghan series, which I'm confident I'll be able to do.

Right now with the pregnancy things are popping up unexpectedly. I try to keep up with swaps, but sometimes things make me a little late. So far it's been morning sickness, bad back pain, bipolar, and a kidney stone. Nothing so far has been long term, but they can set me back a day or two. Despite all this, the baby is healthy and so am I, so nothing to worry about on that side of things. I try to let people know but ask that you be patient. Swapping is a great for me in so many ways, so I'd like to keep at it up to the end of the year.

If you can't send out a swap to me on time, don't stress. Just let me know and keep me updated. I'm a patient person and NEVER rate anyone down for lateness - only for not sending at all. The idea is to have fun, not stress!

However, now that swaps close after 6 months, if a swap becomes too late (several months) I will temporarily mark a 1 until I receive the swap. If it's a swap I've marked a 1 for, I'll change it right away as soon as a receive the swap.

I try to always rate, but sometimes I'm late if I have a lot going on in life. All mail goes off to the side until rated. So, I can't "play with my new toys" until I rate. I rarely ever rate without commenting, and my commenting is never negative.

I've been on swap-bot since Dec. of 2006 and have been adding to my profile since. So it's long!

I almost always reuse packaging, and have been amused when a package is more tape than envelope from it being reused so much!

I'm 29, female, and a homemaker living in Portland, OR with my wife. We've been married over 4 years, and we've been together over 7 years. Our son will be born in January. We have a black and white cat named Kitty and 4 hermit crabs.

I have a degree in computer science, but I'm happiest keeping the house clean. I have bipolar 2 and am off my medication while pregnant. I know how to live with my bipolar, but sometimes are better than others, and sometimes I'm late on swaps because of it.

I'm an introvert. I love hanging out with people, but I get re-energized by spending time alone and can get easily overwhelmed by too much social activity. Religion is one of my biggest passions, but I recognize it's not everyone's thing.

I'm a positive person who enjoys life and tries to accept situations as they are. This is a long-term growing process.

I try to keep my life simple. I don't have cable, don't engage in a lot of mainstream culture and don't keep track of the latest drama in the news. I've found this is what's best for me. So to some it may seem I "live under a rock."

Charities:

If you are assigned to me in a swap, feel free to donate to one of these in lieu of the swap for about the cost of the swap and I'll give you a 5 with a heart.

• Heifer International (Vegetarian/Vegan options available)
• Bead for Life Donation option under "How to help" or check out their store. I wouldn't mind anything from their store in lieu of a swap either.

My serious side:

• Religious tolerance, world religions, peace among religions, Buddhism, Gnosticism, Asatru/Norse Paganism, Paganism, (see my section on religion)
• Crows and ravens
• Wolves
• nature, especially woodland scenes/plants, bamboo, trees, rivers, and flowers. Gerbera daisies are my favorite flower.
• solid color silhouetted trees, plants, and birds.
• falltime themes (leaves changing, wind, rain, etc.)
• springtime themes (sunshine, bright colored flowers, decorated eggs, etc.)
• other cultures, especially Germanic/Scandinavian (where my ancestry is). Also Japanese, Hawaiian, and African cultures.
• Amish/Mennonite. My ancestors were Amish.
• inspirational quotes. I have an entire journal I dedicate to quotes, poems, lyrics, and prayers that I've collected over the years.
• Nikki McClure
• Brush Dance
• Susan Seddon-Boulet
• Japanese watercolors and Japanese calligraphy.
• Baby things (I'm pregnant, due in January)

My Inner Child:

• Yummy Donuts and Yummy Breakfast Keychains
• Ugly Dolls, especially Ice Bat, and secondly Cinko
• Becky Kelly Artwork.
• snails, slugs, crabs and just about anything that has eye stalks. I think creatures with eye stalks are the cutest things.
• kawaii: mamegoma, nyanko, kerori, and nagomimakuri.
• round things like marbles, bouncy balls, and things like that.

Everything in between:

• My current obsession is Babylon 5, especially Kosh. So, I welcome anything with Kosh!!! :)
• ocean animals and other aquatic animals. My current favorites are hermit crabs, orcas, and rays.
• warrior women - Éowyn, valkyries, "defenders of the glen" fearie glen figures, etc.
• Vikings and other warrior type themes (swords, spears, shields, etc.)
• mythological/spiritual creatures/beings: dragons and fairies mostly. Recently I've also been getting into angels, too, though mostly nature-related or warrior angels.
• nature spirits, whether fantasy or based on mythology.
• Japanese luck cats.
• frogs, turtles, and other aquatic animals.
• Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke).
• I love the sun!!!
• Willow Tree Figures

Colors:

• yellows and oranges (my current obsession)
• all shades of blue.
• natural colors: browns & greens
• fun combinations. Since I was a kid, I've obsessed over really good color combinations and would organize anything colorful (like crayons) into group of 3 good matching colors. Yes, I was a strange kid.

Craft Items:

• ribbons
• stickers
• stamped images
• punched images
• embellishments
• mulberry paper

There's not a lot of things I don't like, but there are a few:

• Scented things: My other half is sensitive to them
• Attempts to convert me to another faith. I have nothing against other faiths and know people who other faiths are wonderful influences in their lives. However, for me, I am where I belong.
• Racist things
• Anything gory
• Anything negative or bitter in tone. Especially so around the winter holiday season.
• Modern war/violence themes (guns, etc.)

I'm not into (though if you send them, I'll find a good home for them):

• spooky or scary things.
• Skulls
• Frida Kahlo (I never got into her artwork)
• Disney (with the exception of Sorcerer Mickey, who I will always love! and other Fantasia themes)

Food sensitivities and dislikes:

• Caffeine: It makes me reaction odd emotionally. Please no caffeinated coffee or tea.
• Chamomile: It has a similar effect as caffeine for me. Please no chamomile tea.
• Candy (extra dark chocolate is welcome)
• Gum (makes my jaw ache)
• Anything with sugar substitutes (I'm pregnant and these very possibly have some effect on the baby).

Religion is my thing in life - my biggest passion. I participate in a lot of religious/spiritual swaps, so I have this section on religion. I'm religious but open-minded and accepting of other faiths or those who do not choose to have religion a part of their lives. I love religious tolerance themes.

I am multi-faith. While I found a religion that became home in a way that no other faith has for me, I've also found that other religions can enrich my spiritual life, too. These happen to work well side-by-side without contradicting each other. Some are a part of my life more than others, but all are especially welcome in swaps.

The four religions/spiritual areas in my life (in no particular order) are Gnosticism, Buddhism, Norse Paganism (aka Heathenism, Asatru), and nature-centered Paganism.

I celebrate pre-Christian Yule in wintertime, and Ostara instead of Easter. Secular themes from Christmas and Easter work just fine. See my section on Winter Holidays.

ATCs of any faith are welcome, or anything else of that nature. I have a binder dedicated just to spiritual/religious ATCs. Please just keep them positive and respectful.

Please, no attempts to convert, witness, or proselytize to me. I'm where I feel I need to be.

Favorites relating to Religion (in no particular order):

• Runes
• Solar Cross/Sun Wheel
• Havamal (text of the wisdom of Odin)
• Germanic/Scandinavian culture/traditions
• Buddhist/zen themes
• Sophia and other Gnostic themes (I'm fairly new to this)
• I've been finding myself recently liking Mary and Mary & Baby images.
• Nature (especially forests/trees)
• The Sun
• Inspirational Quotes / Words of Wisdom (spiritual, religious, or secular sources all welcome)

Please avoid:

• Veggie Tales - I have horrible memories associated with it.
• Proselytizing/Witnessing/Attempts to change my faith - Not going to work and will only make the swap less enjoyable for me.
• Anything that is disrespectful, implies inferiority of other beliefs, or implies a person must be of that faith.
• Racist things. I know some spiritual symbols have been taken and later used for racist purposes. I'm fine with these as long as the intention is its original spiritual meaning and not anything racist.

• ATCs
• scrapbooking
• other paper crafts
• crochet (new at this - great for my bipolar!)
• hand sewing (especially with felt)
• sculpey
• painting
• drawing
• cross stitch

I love working with ribbon on my ATCs. It's one of my favorite things to use. I also love using rubber stamps and punchies.

• Norse Pagan: Hagalaz' Runedance (currently my favorite), Sequentia's Edda album.
• Other Pagan: Damh the Bard, Heather Alexander, Alexander James Adams
• Nordic Traditional-based: Frigg, Hedningarna, Gjallarhorn
• J-Rock: X-Japan, L'arc~En~Ciel, Glay
• Hawaiian: Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
• African: Okaidja, Percussion Discussion Africa
• Other World: Loreena McKennitt, Dead Can Dance, Anwyn and George Leverett (harp music), Blackmore's Night, Enya
• ProgRock: Genesis, Alan Parsons, Yes
• 80's: Howard Jones, Tears For Fears, Cyndi Lauper
• Metal: Dream Theater, Blind Guardian, Tyr, Turisas

Currently my favorite song:

• "The More We Live - Let Go" by Yes

Despite being raised in a family who loves TV, I'm not a big TV/Movie person. I use music as background noise rather than a TV.

Currently obsessed with: Babylon 5 (especially love Kosh)

TV I have seen and really like: Doctor Who (especially the newer series), Torchwood, Haibane Renmei (anime series), Firefly, Neverwhere (miniseries), Buffy, Angel

Movies I love: 13th Warrior, Hero, Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime), Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Serenity

I celebrate Yule which goes from Mother's Night (on the eve of the solstice) and runs for 12 days after that, ending around New Years. I'm not into New Years as anything other than the end of Yule. I don't usually stay up to midnight.

Yule for me is a quiet, peaceful time. I don't participate in the hustle and bustle and commercialization.

My spouse likes secular Christmas, and although Yule is very much like Christmas, we celebrate secular Christmas, too.

Decorations

My decorations tend to have a Scandinavian feel to them. Flickr photos from last Yule.

My tree:

• mostly red/maroon, green, tan/gold, silver/grey
• a lot of straw/red thread ornaments.
• a lot of hearts and natural things (snowflakes, trees, stars, etc.)
• common materials in my ornaments: straw, wood, felt, metal, red thread

I have another small tree I usually find some place for that has ornaments that don't fit with my regular tree's scheme.

Other decorations:

• old wise-looking Santas
• Julbock (Yule Goat - a Swedish tradition)
• greenery
• candles

Themes/Symbols

Favorites (in no order):

• Hearts
• Julbock (Yule goat)
• Old wise-looking Santa
• Realistic-looking reindeer
• Greenery
• Evergreen trees
• Candles
• Burning Yule log
• Winter (snow, dormant trees, etc.)
• Stars
• Winter sun
• Julkärve (Yule sheaf)

Not really into:

• Shopping
• Carols
• New Years