rebowyer2000

i'm Renee, 34, working mother of 2 school age children. i work at Target, so don't be surprised if you recieve at least one item from Target.
i don't tend to be able to list favorite things, it's too hard to pick, put i'll try.

colors - if asked, i will usually respond that grey is my favorite color, but that's a little dull. i like fall/winter colors, muted shades. olive green, burnt orange, dusty rose, heather blue, slate blue, burgundy, wine, black is always good.

i like accesories; purses, socks, hats (i adore hats), pins, patches. anything shiny. i like useless pretty things, but don't really have space for them, so useful pretty things are better. i like wooden things, boxes, carved animals. anything that looks cool and different. i really like wearable art. i'm not real girly, prefer alternative, punky things, but anything different is cool

oh, i like piercings and tattoos, and related things. i have one tattoo from when i was 19, and am currently working on a large piece on my arm, an octopus. i'm really excited about it, i just like looking at it and seeing it progress and come alive. i am currently wearing 11 piercings, mostly ear and cartilage. i have 00g plugs, and i have another set of holes above them, but i was in a wedding over the summer, and stopped wearing anything in them, cause i found some cool blingy plugs the totally went with my dress.

i love music. almost anything. not big on rap, and country in limited quantities. love anything 80's, almost anything punk and alternative, but i will usually listen to anything. and classic rock, i like any of that, back into the 50's and 60's.

i love punk covers. any song, any era, just a good punk version of it. i like it a little better if i know the original song, but since i know a lot of songs, it's not usually a problem. a good punk cover just cracks me up.

i listed most of my iTunes collection last night, and somehow lost it. so i'll try again. (+44) A New Found Glory AFI AC/DC Aerosmith Against Me! Alkaline Trio Angels & Airwaves Bad Religion Beatles Billy Idol Billy Joel Black Sabbath Blink 182 Blondie Bon Jovi Bouncing Souls Bowling For Soup Brain Failure Brand New Bruisers Buck-O-Nine Clash Concrete Blonde Cure Death Cab for Cutie Dropkick Murphys Dwarves Eleven:54 (a band local to Baltimore) Emery Fall Out Boy Flogging Molly Gogol Bordello Great Big Sea Heavens Jack Johnson Jimmy Buffet Jimmy Eat World Keane Max Levine Ensemble Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Modest Mouse Nirvana Pearl Jam Oingo Boingo Panic! At The Disco Pennywise Pogues Queen Rancid Rise Against Say Anything Sisters of Mercy Social Distortion Street Dogs Taking Back Sunday Teenage Fanclub The Aggrolites The Darkness The Vandals The Violent Femmes They Might Be Giants Tiger Army

and last but definitely not least, and my favorite live band, absolutely awesome

World/Inferno Friendship Society

i just read Water For Elephants. awesome book. finished it, started it over again. i never do that, it's that good of a book.

i simply love to read. romance novels, any kinds, Nora Roberts, things you pick up at the dollar store. Anne Rice. books about vampires, werewolves, witches, anything that is original and not regurgitated nonsense. science fiction/fantasy. Terry Pratchet. Douglas Adams. Piers Anthony. young adult fiction. Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, the Redwall series. any type of magazines. manga. mostly shojo, not the cutesy stuff. i like stories with a little romance, a little supernatural, a good story line.

and i like punk rock history books. i have a copy of Get In The Van, autographed by Henry Rollins and Ian McKay. i don't even really have to be into the music, i just like the stories of rock life.

i'm a big ADD kid, and movies don't tend to hold me. i like a lot of the old 80's brat pack movies, romantic comedies, most anything with John Cusack in it. Labyrinth and The Princess Bride are favorites. i'll watch anything Disney or animated, but often just don't get around to it. oh, and i love The 5th Element.

honestly, the only TV i regularly watch is the wednesday night Bravo shows, like Top Chef and Project Runway. and occasionally shows like House, as my husband likes them.

i've just learned to needle knit. i've made a scarf, am working on another scarf, and a purse. i started a scarf, had it stolen and finished by the friend who taught me. i really like loom knitting too. i love being able to make myself hats from one ball of yarn in a few hours. and they're soft, and fluffy, and not too tight. i like to cross-stitch. i sew, when the mood hits. i have been known to make jewelery, and do paper crafts, like scrapbooking and cards. i just have to have a goal, or i get bored. well, although i have no problem with receiving ATC's, i just don't think they are something i can do and still enjoy doing it. i tend to over think things, and i'm not terribly artistic. creative, crafty, yes.

my children

Child Number One - Caelan (son)

Caelan is 12, very intelligent and active, likes to read, likes science experiments. likes to know things. likes animals, mainly the ones no one else likes, like spiders and snakes and gharials. likes the Warriors series, Pokemon, Yugi-Oh. dogs. we have never had one, but he is obsessed with getting one. video games. DS and Wii. Pokemon games, any and all. Animal games, action games, but generally young boy geared ones, he hasn't moved into the older boy games yet. collects stamps, so any cool stamps on swap packages will go to him.

Child Number Two - Miram (daughter)

Miram is 10. girly girl. likes embroidered jeans, t-shirts with cute characters and ribbons or sparklies, nail polish, hair accessories, especially head bands right now. she has LOTS of hair, so any ties need to be the bigger sort, not the little kid type. likes music, sings her own songs a lot. not a huge reader, but likes girl related books, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, faeries. i don't yet know what kawaii is, but Miram would love it. Disney Channel is her obsession. Hannah Montana. The Cheetah Girls. The Jonas Brothers.

Miram just started writing her first "book", although it is very zine like. She calls it Fraggles and Gorgs. Ilichratet by Miram, it says.

well, this one will be small for now, since i'm pretty easy to please. i will add things i don't like as i think of them or realize them

foods i don't like - eggplant. licorice or licorice flavored things, cinnamon flavored things. well, that artifical cinnamon flavor. like red hots. i like real cinnamon, like in applesauce and pie. that's about it, i think. also, i like flavored licorice, like grape shoe strings, just not the black stuff. i don't eat things with MSG, as it seems to trigger my asthma. i've realized that lots of flavored snack foods contain MSG, like Doritos and ranch or barbecue cornnuts. therefore i don't eat them.

i like nuts, chocolate, all veggies (raw and cooked), fruits, granola, chips, cornnuts, hard candy, most gum, mashed potatoes (anything potato, except bread, i love potatoes). i'm not vegetarian, but i love a good vegetarian sandwich, so i'd be happy to get recipes. i'm just not a fan of tofu.

the best candy bar ever is Crunchie. they are so yummy. but they are now closely followed by the Flake bar. (and as Swap-bot is the perfect place to fill any addiction, i now have a good stash. so any chocolate you send will be great. and definitely Flake bars would be awesome) i like anything toffee, like Skor bars. chocolate covered graham crackers and peppermint barks are favorite treats. i can't honestly think of a chocolate or candy i won't eat. raisins are not my favorite, and i prefer dried fruit just as dried fruit, but i will still eat it. :)

smells - i don't like anything too strong, i'm mildly asthmatic and anything too scented and heavy iritates me. but anything fruit scented or lightly flower scented is nice. i like the fresh type smells, too, love the smell of clean clothes and freshly washed children

textures - not too big on real itchy things, but, who is? i like soft, fuzzy things. i have been known to sleep in fuzzy hats

colors - i won't wear orange, yellow, or green near my face. too pale, makes me look icky. not a huge fan of brown, but if it's in stripes or something, it's fine. Plaid, that is my favorite color :) anything in plaid is cool, even the ugly things. not into trendy plaids, pink ones, either. i prefer the real thing, or something just god awful

i like cute, funny things, like Happy Bunny and Dog of Glee. slightly twisted sense of humor.

i collect pendant watches, the kind that one wear on a chain and have to wind up. i don't really wind if they don't work, as long as they are pretty. but working ones are cool, too.

organic things. not organic like milk or meat, but like beads. organic as in made of an organic substance, rock, wood, bone. i also love glass and metal, but shiny stones and smooth wood are just really neat to me.

tea/coffee - thought i'd add this in as i've started getting tea in swaps. i love tea, preferably green tea or herbal types. i like coffee, but too much caffeine doesn't agree with me, so i drink it rarely. i actually really like McDonald's Vanilla Iced Coffee. at Starbuck's i like the green shaken tea lemonade. and hot chocolate mix is always welcome.

kawaii - i don't think i really get the whole kawaii thing, but i like Hamtaro. he's cute, and he makes me laugh. Hello Kitty is ok on pins and purses, i saw a halloween treat bag with HK in a skeleton costume, i so wanted it. (for a purse, not a treat bag).

and anything manga. chibi characters. (i thought chibi meant cute, i looked it up, means small, childlike. so, um, cute)

Elephants. i like elephants. wooden elephants, in particular. i have one from Nigeria, and one from Indonesia. hurray for Target, hurray for diversity!

Squid. or cuttlefish or octopus. they are cool

Don't Send

just a couple of things i'd rather not get

store brand type lotions - i use Eucerin and Bath & Body Works, most other types make me itch. i don't expect either of these brands, really, it's just more that i won't use other brands.

Chocolate Orange Tim Tams. i would love you forever. they sound awesome, i'd love to try them.

Handmade purses, preferably shoulder strap style, or long-handled tote. i love purses, and i love anything different and original. i also really want a seatbelt purse. not really something i expect in a swap, but maybe someone has one that they don't want. you never know.

An astronaut pen. i don't know why exactly, but i want one. any pens would be great, actually, i work retail and you can never have enough pens. especially unique ones, so i know it's mine

craft magazines. pages, or copies of pages, are fine, too. i've seen the japanese craft magazines, with all the felt things, i want to try those things.

a knitting tote. i loom knit, and i've thought of making myself one, but i can't figure out how i'd put stuff in it and not get everything tangled.

anything small and smooth. i like to carry polished stones in my pocket. if you can make them into a useful item, like a keychain or bookmark, you are doubly awesome.

i really like the Dover stained glass coloring books, particularly the little pocket size ones. i love cool coloring books, i just can't bring myself to buy them anymore.

ok, i don't really understand what is or isn't kawaii, but i really like the cute manga characters, like the bunnies that are in the Clamp comics, and any of the Chobits characters; things like that. if i understand kawaii, it is japanese cartoons, i like japanese comics. so any little cute things related to manga, like pins and cell phone charms and such.

anything you made for me. only thing i really wouldn't use is a scarf. i have one, i use it if i really, really need it. which is rare. so although i would totally appreciate the time you put into making me something, i still wouldn't end up using it. but anything else i would adore. i love the fingerless glove/mitten crosses.or a pair of text-messaging mittens.

scally caps. you may call them golf caps, cabbie hats, newsboy caps, whatever. i love them. any color. LOVE them.

Elephants. or rabbits. anything. wood, stone, t-shirts, underpants, notebooks, bookmarks. whatever. i like elephants and rabbits.

Squid/octopus/cuttlefish. again, anything with these on it.

Currently, I want hoodies. as long as they are still wearable, i will wear them. i do prefer mens sweatshirts, so anything your husband/partner/teenaged son doesn't want or need anymore, i will happily take off you hands. hooded sweaters are great, too. i prefer a pullover style, but wear zip style as well. prefer dark colors, but, again, whatever. and i am ok with slightly ratty, just as long as it's clean and the pockets are usable.
let me know if you have something i might want, we will work something out.

my pledge to you, you should do it, too

ok, so you will never see one of those pretty lists here, like other people have, but i thought i'd put a little reminder to myself, and so anyone who thinks i should have sent them something can PM if they are not here.

if i've forgotten you, let me know.