FabricsandFlowers

June 4, 2013 -- I had a beautiful baby girl born on January 27th, she is now 4 months old. However, I am finding it difficult to get back into "the swing of things" so my current plan is to take a break until her first birthday. ------------------------------------------------------------______ August 25, 2012 -- I'd planned to come back to Swap-bot in the first of September. However life happened again; last week on Wednesday Aug 22 (first day of school) I fainted & passed out completely, then had a seizure... spent several hours in the ER having tests run, nothing was found abnormal. My OB & the ER Dr both cautioned me to spend considerable time resting, for the next 10 days I am to be almost on bed-rest; I am at 14 weeks in my pregnancy and don't want anything else to happen.

June 2012 -- I'm taking the summer off swapping so I can get my garden, house & family taken care of. My kids keep getting sick a lot lately (my 18 mo daughter is just getting over a nasty case of unexplained head-to-toe hives) and my own health is shaky at times. I hope you all enjoy a wonderful summer (in Northern Hemisphere). If you really need to get intouch with me, leave me a message at: maeserquilter@gmail.com.

03/30/2012 -- Yep, another chatty bit about me & my life! UGH!! Yesterday I dislocated my left shoulder, so now I'm not able to use it much, Extremely PAINFUL!!! Those whom I owe tags or swaps to, I will get them out as soon as I can, especially the dishcloth swap[s]. So sorry. I can still type, just involves lots of typos n back-spacing and very little punctuation.

Well, the "1" rating has been changed to a "3." I must admit that I'm disappointed that she didn't change the 1 to a 5 because I know that I met the posted swap requirements for the items I sent. It's just that first package[s] weren't received by her and only the last one that I used Delivery Confirmation did get there. Oh well, a "3" is better than a "1" I guess.

About the "one" rating on the Seamstress Stocking Stuffer swap that I received in late December 2011/early January 2012 -- @earthnk said she'd re-rate when she received a package from me. She'd not gotten one at the time of her rating (darn the USPS anyhow), I re-sent and the USPS Delivery Confirmation indicated that package was delivered 11:41 am on January 13th. I am still waiting on her to re-rate; the package I resent was made within the confines of the original swap requirements. (written 2/6/2012)

11/17/11-- Finally got all my swaps, tags, & round robin stuff mailed off. Thanks to everyone who has been patiently waiting for me to get over my horrible illness and headaches.

11/07/11 -- Have been sick for awhile now, first a cold then right away the 'flu -- can't seem to get better, hard to take care of my little ones let alone get enough energy to go to Postal Office. have been having some nasty migraines with this virus too. So sorry for anyone whom I owe a swap or tag to; I've not forgotten about you, but you're just going to get your item[s] much later than planned. Please be patient with me, I will mail as soon as I can.

10/20/11 -- Hubby & I are trying to cut back on our living/driving costs (he is getting laid off for the winter in 1-2 months), so I am only going to town on Tuesday and Fridays. If a swap date is between any of these days, please understand that I will get it out to you as soon as possible. Also, I have been doing a lot of canning & food preservation lately to get food into bottles before it goes bad and haven't gone to the Post Office because of this too. If you have any questions about anything that I've sent to you, please feel free to message me. Thanks.

Hi everyone!

While I love email and the internet, I feel sad at times because [snail] mail seems to be almost a thing of the past - even the US postal system is having troubles, not enough letters or packages being sent. I'm excited to be a member of swap-bot, and do some exchanges. I love, love, love getting packages in the mail, lol really anything other than bills is exciting for me!

A little about me: I'm a SAHM (stay at home Mom) to 3 handsome energetic boys & 1 beautiful baby girl.
I love making things mostly by crocheting, quilting or sewing (my Etsy shop reflects some of my new fav projects), though I also make some of my own Christmas cards and greeting cards.
Other things I enjoy doing are baking & cooking from scratch (love trying out new recipes too), vegetable gardening, canning & dehydrating said garden produce and any fruit I can find or buy, frugal living, reading, sleeping (lol, not much of that happens with a baby).
Something you will probably notice is that while I spell accurately enough with my handwriting, I can't seem to spell a sentence without typos -- if I catch them, I go back to correct but sometimes I don't, so please forgive me! :)

I have discovered in recent times (last 9 months) that I like playing "computer" games too, including Facebook games (Treasure Island, Farmville & Frontierville), if you like them too, please feel free to add me as your friend & neighbor -- I always respond to requests whenever I can. I also like playing Spider Solitaire & Hearts! :)

A few more bits about me: I love love love yellow!!! But a close second is red, then dark/forest green. When it's flower-giving time, I always tell hubby I'd prefer yellow roses over red, though my all time favorite flowers are Sunflowers (fav scent is Elizabeth Arden's Sunflowers, lol) & White Daisies! Other scents I enjoy are Moonlight Path & Sea Island Cotton (from bath & Body works), and Lavender, Rosemary.

I love Classic Rock & Roll, really anything between late 60's & early 80's, especially any songs by Journey when Steve Perry was lead singer. :)

I also will listen to Country Music, some modern music (there's a radio station in my town that plays a mix of modern stuff).
I was raised listening to Classical Music, my Dad loves Chopin, Mom liked Mozart, but my all-time favorite Classical Music is Vivaldi!

Hmm... I believe I mentioned I love to read. Well, first on my list are sewing, crocheting, quilting, and cooking books & magazines. Then is LDS fiction (because I'm a Mormon), then I read a mix of Christian, Mystery, Murder mystery, Romance (though not usually teh ripped bodice kind, just the gentle Regency stuff, where the steamiest is gets is kissing), Westerns (yes, Louis L'Amour & Zane Grey), anything Medieval, hmm... there's others but I just can't think of them right now. I'll make a list of my more fav authors & post them later too.

Really too many favorites to mention, but a few that stick with me: Never Been Kissed, Ever After (because I like a good "Cinderella type movie"), Pretty Woman, The Shawshank Redemption, The Rock, Last of the Mohicans (love the soundtrack too), The Scarlet Pimpernel, Rigoletto, John Wayne movies (lol, named my 3rd son after his character in The War Wagon), Tombstone, The Lakehouse, The Crow, Pure Country, 007 movies (especially ones with Sean Connery & Pierce Brosnan), Robin Hood, First Knight, etc... I like Comedies, Action, "chick flicks".

Movies types I really don't like are Horror, Science Fiction (aka SciFi), and would prefer no R-rated movies as well please.

I love T.V. too, probably watch too much, but a few shows I watch regularly are: Bones, Cold Case, House, CSI: New York, CSI (the regular one set in Las Vegas), The Chicago Code, The Practice, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Topshot... Hmm there's others but I can't think of them just now.

I mentioned some of this previously, but I love to sew, quilt & crochet.

My Mom taught me how to sew, and while I fought it and hated it, now that I can't turn to her and ask questions, I find that I remember so much of what she taught me. She also taught me how to quilt, at least the hand-stitching part of quilting, and of course piecing just comes naturally to me because of being taught to sew a straight (or almost straight) line.

Now that I finally have a baby girl, i have been going sewing crazy... been making lots of cute baby dresses, skirts & fun little tops. I have so many ideas for things to make for her, but am trying to start making more things for my boys too (want to teach my older boys how to sew this summer too), like neckties for Sunday attire. LOL, really I have so many ideas of stuff to sew, but I usually get very little of them made because baby K is teething and still requires a lot of care, plus now that she is crawling I can't hardly keep up with her and all she tried to get into. :)

I taught myself how to crochet when I was 20, and have been doing it ever since. I use my hooks at least once a week, and some days it's every day. I love yarn almost as much as I love fabric (I like to go into fabric stores to look at & "pet" the fabric even if I can't buy anything that day), especially cotton yarn. A lot of the items I crochet lately are dishcloths and hot pads (aka pot holders) because they are small projects and don't require lots of room or time.

During the late summer & fall, I spend a lot of my time canning & preserving my garden produce (along with any fruit I can buy or beg [from others]) into delicious foods for my family to eat during winter & spring before my next veggie garden can be planted.

Something else I like to do, but don't do very often is make greeting and Christmas cards. A lot of the Christmas cards I make to give to friends and neighbors which I deliver to them often with a plate of homemade goodies (candy & cookies).

Fabric: I love yellows of course, preferably quilting cottons; also like daisy & sunflower print fabric, leaves. Though I will take any fabric color but I don't love bright bright colors.

Yarn: I have mostly acrylic yarn for sweaters, scarves, & afghans but my current love is cotton yarn of all colors & patterns. I would like to learn to make socks, and have started to gather patterns & sock yarn to that end as well.

I also have a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice & Psychology, though I've never really used it. I got my B.S. from Southern Utah University; my goal someday is to get a Master's in either CJ or Sociology... but that's a long way down my road.

I don't smoke, drink alcohol, or coffee; will drink herbal teas & love Vanilla and Hazelnut flavored black tea. I will accept packets of Hot chocolate because other members of my family can use them. I also love the packets of Spiced Apple Cider that you dump into water. I also like the single-serve drink packets you dump into a 16 oz or 20 oz water bottle any flavor - this includes the Morning Spark ones w/ caffeine.

I am also Allergic to Chocolate (a sad thing as I view it, but it does make me sick these days), however Green & Black's Chocolate Almond bar doesn't make me ill (as I discovered when my friend in England sent me some). I use Carob powder & chips as a substitute for chocolate in cooking. Also I have a love/hate relationship with Orange Juice, so I usually just avoid it as much as possible, but do drink it sometimes in a mix with other juices & I do cook with it occasionally too.
I don't really like black licorice-flavored candy either.

But... I do like most USA candy, specifically Mike & Ikes, PayDay candy bars, Skittles, Strawberry Twizzlers, Gobstopppers (especially the hearts at Valentine's-time), Jolly Ranchers, jelly Belly jellybeans, Lindt's White Coconut, etc.

Regarding any swaps, if you're just not sure about what I'd like, please please PLEASE send me a message first. I'm happy to answer any questions from you. I just am shy about posting too much about myself.

PLEASE DO NOT FLAKE ON ME!!! I'd rather get a message from you saying you can't send your stuff rather than nothing.

I will post rating as I receive items, if I haven't rated you yet (or if you've been rated a 1), it's because I haven't received anything from you. I'm likely to add a heart to my rating because I think everyone needs that little boost in their lives, even for postcard swaps because at least you took the time to join the swap & send out something you thought another would enjoy seeing.

Also I like to re-use packaging whenever I can, though I will do my best to make sure that any addresses are hidden from the next person.

I also re-gift items. If I think that someone else will enjoy it more than me, or if it's something that I can't use, I will pass it along to another.

SWAPS SENT & AWAITING RATINGS FOR:

HAVEN'T RECEIVED SWAPS FROM: @thehappycrochetchic for "Your Favorite Pattern Online" swap

I have 5 children, 3 sons & 2 daughters. Joseph is 10, Cole is 8, Taw is 5, Katie is 2, and baby Ellynn is 4 months (her bday is Jan 27).

Joseph likes riding his bike, reading (especially BoxCar Children series), playing with friends, talking, and really likes knowing how things work. He is in a BIG question-asking phase, so he talks a lot. He's in Boys Scouts right now too, so spends a lot of time working on projects for to earn his belt loops. His favorite color varies between blue, red & yellow. He's also become very interested in Lego's Bionicles (sp?). He wears size 10 in boys clothes & size 6 in boys/young mens shoes.

Cole is starting to read pretty good (if he likes that book), playing outside, army & helicopter toys, painting and drawing, playing with friends, building bridges, houses & whatever else he can think of from dirt, sticks and bricks. He's my quiet boy who doesn't open his mouth for every thought that comes into his head. His favorite color is blue, especially sky blue. He wears size 6 (he's my skinny boy) clothes, and size 1 boys shoes, and just turned 8 a week before school started.

Taw is my chatterbug, he is talking constantly. If he's not talking, he's sleeping, eating or drinking, but soon he's back to talking again. He loves trucks, cars, tractors, really anything with wheels (loves to lay on the carpet and push his current toy of choice back & forth talking to it & watching the wheels). He also loves the CARS movie, Clifford the Big Red Dog, our dog Wyler (a Weimeraner), hugs, kisses, his family, being read to, playing outside, playing with brothers & their friends, and talking. His favorite color depends on what he's playing with at the moment... red, blue, yellow, green, orange... you get the idea. He wears size 3T and 9/10 children's shoes.

My Katie is a delight in our lives, I was really starting to think I wouldn't have any girls, just boys (like my friend who has 5 boys). She loves snuggling, babbling, crawling, eating Gerber baby puffs with her fingers. She just cut her 5th & 6th teeth (week ending 10/15/11), she started walking with balance a week before Halloween. She has curly reddish hair with slightly olive skin that allows her to look good in any color clothes. She loves playing with my shoes, her brothers' toys, her baby rattly toys (including a soft doll), though she especially loves balls, a red truck, a soft plastic Mickey Mouse & playing peek-a-boo (even initiates it). She wears size 2T & some 3T, just depending on what the item is, she now weighs 32-1/2 lbs & is 3 feet tall. She wears sizes 8 & 9 in babies shoes.

Ellynn is our last baby, and what a sweet baby she is too!! Currently (as of 6/4/13) she is 4 months old, weighs 13.5 pounds, wears 3-6 month clothes, and is our happy giggly delight, loved by all in the family. Dark hair, dark gray eyes, and looks good in nearly every color I put on her.