KittEvol

! I am currently having a very frustrating problem with Canada Post. Some of my swaps are being returned to me with a label stating they "May contain goods" I am very careful to place correct postage and never send anything that would be inappropriate for the mail. When I take these into the post office and ask what mistake I have made they seem unable to tell me. They confirm postage and weight requirements seem correct. I show them photos of what is inside - no issues there. They then offer to get it on its way and charge me a seemingly random amount (the highest being $26 above the postage already present in stamps (This particular swap was a 2 partner one - they were basically twins, same envelope and weight and the same items - just in different styles. Both traveling to the same country with the same postage applied. One made it no problem, and the other needed $26 additional dollars?? ) I apologize for any delays this may cause - I do go and resend it within 24 hours. If anyone has any advice on this I am all ears - at this point I am wondering if I will be able to continue with this much-loved hobby :(

!! After spending my morning traveling to all of the post offices in my immediate area and making an absolute nuisance of myself I have been informed that along with the rate increase on May 8th they are also "Cracking down" on items that previously complied with the current standards of letter mail. It is now "anything of possible value" paper or otherwise, that may trigger an automatic change from letter mail rates to parcel rates. This can include things like stickers, trading cards, and bookmarks. This means that any swap sent has the possibility of switching from less than $5 to over $30 to send regardless of size, weight, or thickness. The employees I spoke to encouraged contacting the service number to submit a complaint and attempt to get further clarification as the official rules have not changed at this time. They also told me they have been flooded recently with people having the same issue. For now, I will continue to attempt to participate in swaps and absorb the extra cost when necessary in hopes that they will realize this isn't a great move in their effort to have people send mail for fun again, or at the very least provide a new set of clear guidelines to follow. Again I deeply apologize for any delays this may cause - without clear guidelines, I have no real way of knowing what will and will not trigger the system :(

• Our cats that have been mentioned previously have both crossed the rainbow bridge. Cleo 02/23/23 Satis 07/14/23

I am a 30+ year-old mother to the most wonderful boy (Ky). I live in beautiful British Columbia Canada which offers a delightful mix of Ocean views, mountain ranges, and mossy forest trails.

I love to learn and experience new things. I would consider myself rather logical but am also the type of person who doesn't want to know how the illusion worked - I want to believe in the magic.

I love to read, journal, do memory keeping and decorative planning, hike, go geocaching, play board and card games, send happy mail, and participate in random acts of kindness projects.

I believe strongly that the wonderful things in life are found in the "small" things. We are all stories in the end, and I simply hope to leave behind a good one, that if I am very lucky will leave the world a bit better than when it started.

I do a lot of decorative planning and stationary-based crafting. I also have a life-long journal habit. Obsessed with washi tape and stickers!

I dabble in clay, painting, drawing, Jewelry making, Cross-stitch, and miniatures.

I would love to learn calligraphy, textile arts, and resin.

Every year I enjoy stretching my crafting muscles by hand-making party decor to make my sons themed birthday party dreams come true :)

• Color: Teal Blue
• Flower: Dandelion, Sunflower, Daisy
• Animal: Feline, Crow, Duck, horse, Raccoon, Squirrel, Canine.
• Drink: Coffee / iced tea
• Season: Summer
• Holiday: Halloween

I generally lean towards fantasy novels but do dip into other genres from time to time. I mostly prefer long novels but do dabble in manga and short stories.

• I love the Shadow hunter books by Cassander Clare. So far my favorite series is The Infernal Devices. I am also really enjoying The eldest Curses.

• The Anthropocene Reviewed - John Green

I enjoy all music from Classical to intense foreign screamo. It all depends on the mood that day. "Sometimes you need the music. Sometimes you need the lyrics" Sometimes I want to explore and sometimes I want the comfort of an old playlist.

• Scooby Doo (TV-Older Version)
• Anime in general
• Snow white with the red hair (Anime)
• Fairy tail (Anime)
• Arcane
• Noragami (Anime)
• All things fantasy
• Mario (Video Game)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
• Doctor Who (TV)
• A Silent Voice (Anime)
• Spider-Man
• Nightmare Before Christmas
• Aladdin (Movie)
• Tangled / Rapunzel (Movie)
• Curious George (TV / Books)
• Winnie The pooh (TV / Books)
• Five Nights at Freddies (Video Game)
• The Theorists (You Tube)
• True Crime Podcasts
• Sweet Tooth (TV)
• Favourite Pokemon: Cubone, Pysduck, Perrserker

• I have a minor obsession with rubber ducks
• Science / Medical
• I collect Coffee Monsterz Co Stationary/stickers/washi
• Animal Facts
• "Local knowledge" Something mainly only locals would know about living in a particular area
• Tattoos
• Plants
• Quotes/Poetry/Song Lyrics
• Geocaching
• Miniatures
• Local folklore/ legends
• Steampunk
• Space
• Cosplay
• Pirates
• I collect pins
• Photography
• I collect interesting Keys
• #IshnessArmy
• Anything related to "you are my sunshine" or "I love you to the moon and back"
• Gnomes

I'm pretty easygoing and hard to offend and am generally happy to receive anything :) My only hard no is any kind of hate-based content.

My 10-year-old son Ky has really been enjoying all of the mail I receive, and he absolutely loves it every time someone says hello to him :D

If you have children of similar age he would love to receive some mail from them! (a small note tucked in with the swap would be wonderful!). I thought some of you may enjoy the idea as well :D He has gained a pen-pal this way already and I love that he is gaining a love for snail mail :D

Ky's interests are:

• Math
• Pokemon
• Mario
• Plants Vs Zombies
• Super Smash Bro's
• Minecraft
• Lego
• Youtube
• Playing outside
• Writing stories
• Playing card and board games
• D&D
• Geronimo Stilton Books
• Notebook of doom books
• Octopus
• Purple, pink, green