Some of my recent swaps may have not made the mail on time due to my vehicle breaking down and having to enlist the help of someone else. Additionally, I know of at least one international swap that wasn't mailed correctly because I didn't receive a custom's receipt for it. In fact, I didn't receive the postal receipt either, so I am not sure which swaps this involves other than what I can ascertain from my notes as being "SENT." I apologize for this mishap, and if you don't receive your package, please let me know and I will re-send ASAP.

JESUS is LORD

Ephesians 4:29-32 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Mother of five (however, one of my sons passed away on May 18, 2013; on his sister's birthday). Grandmother of 15 (10 girls and 5 boys).

UPDATE: Nana here with another update -- I have the new baby full-time for a few days. Her mommy has been hospitalized because she apparently got a staph infection at the hospital when they put in the IV when she was going to give birth. That "thing" got huge, her hand and arm swelled up, and had to be taken to the E.R. It has packing in it, but that is basically all I know, as we are awaiting the actual culture report. I'm not permitted to visit because I'm caring for her infant...

11:40 p.m., Faith Randall Leigh weighed in at 8 lbs. 1 oz., 20 inches long. She sure has a set of lungs on her! The nurse said she was probably hungry, but we'll see... lol (Of course, she is the one of the new three that will live with me!) Faith is my 15th grandchild. It's time for a rest kids. Nana can only do so much babysitting!

30 April 2014 -- We are, once again, at the hospital. (I've actually lost count now of how many times this makes this month, lol.) Anyways, my newest granddaughter should be here sometime today. I'll post when she does decide to arrive...

Madison Paige arrived at 8:32 a.m. today, 24 April 2014, weighing 6 lbs. 11 oz., and is 19 inches long. Unfortunately, she had to be delivered by C-section; but mommy and baby are fine.

A new granddaughter arrived happy and healthy on Wednesday, 2 April 2014. Her name is Savannah Brandy. (They chose Brandy because it sounds like Randy, in memory of his brother that passed away last year.) She weighs 7 lbs. 9 oz. and is 19 inches long.

It has been VERY hectic here with all of the back and forth to the hospital visits, caring for more grandchildren, etc. Savannah's mommy ended up back in the hospital with a blood clot in the lung, and then had a subsequent unrelated surgery. Since Danielle's release from the hospital, I have been repacking her wound daily and helping care for the four little ones (in addition to the two I already have). I have missed the post office hours a couple of times, so if your package is a day or two past the deadline, I hope you'll forgive me. It will get mailed just as soon as I can get to the post office. (My swaps are about the only thing keeping me "sane" at this point, lol.)

We have three Abyssinian guinea pigs: Captain Cuddles, and the girls -- Reecie and Mouse (aka Zhu-zhu). My granddaughter likes to dress them in baby clothes and put tiny bows in their hair, lol. She would like to learn to make costumes for them on her sewing machine, so any patterns that you might share would be truly welcomed.

BTW, if you have a complaint, a personal agenda with me, or need to vent at me for some reason, how about having a little bit of common sense, compassion, and decency and send me an email or PM.

Card-making

Christian art

kid's crafts

making flowers and other embellishments

learning to paint again, especially lighthouses, butterflies, frogs, easy flowers, and more...

soap-making

candle-making

sewing

cooking/baking

rubber stamping

altered art/up-cycled/recycled art

scrapbooking, etc.

Love to craft with my 10-year-old granddaughter, Laci, and now my nine-year-old grandson, Bubbies (Kenny), too.

While I enjoy a large variety of color, my two favorites have always been yellow and blue -- kind of the French decorating shades of these. Having said that, bold colors of autumn always catch my eye!

And at Christmastime, I prefer to work with a cheerful palette of colors and not be limited by reds and greens.

I also like ocean and tropical color themes. Yeah, I guess I'm a room-by-room smorgasbord of color themes.

Anything Tweety, brown bag molds, dolphins, seahorses, sea turtles, butterflies, yellow (but not school bus yellow, lol), pretty blue, Pittsburgh Steelers, writing instruments -- colored pencils, pens, watercolor pencils, markers.

acrylic paint

adhesives (especially double-sided tape 1/8-inch size)

airmail paper

altered/recycled art items (yes, send me good, clean "junk!!!")

Altoids mint-type tins -- (empty, of course)

beach-themed items -- starfish, saltwater/colorful fish, sea critters, sailboats, weathered-looking wood, pelican

bobbins

bookmarks (especially ones that have Scripture on them)

Brown Bag Molds

butterflies

Buttons, especially vintage and/or metal and bright colors

candle wicks

candy -- Sugar-free -- chocolate or citrus-flavored -- lemon, orange, lime (diabetic)

clay -- dry, such as bentonite clay powder (used for colorants and in herbal remedies)

dragonflies

Ed Hardy Type (Women's) stick incense

Embellishments -- 3-D stickers, sea creatures, buttons

embossing powder (clear and earth-tones)

essential oils (especially citronella, rosemary, wintergreen, tea tree, eucalyptus, clove, sweet orange, ylang ylang, Japanese grapefruit, etc.)

Fabric (Bright pieces of material -- minimum 3 inches wide x 12 inches long -- needed for the costume we are making)

fat quarters -- bright colors, small patterns, very small plaids

Feathers -- Ostrich, Coque tailfeathers, Duck, Turkey, Pheasant, Pink Peacock, Brown Curly, Marabou, Guinea, Chinchilla, Chandelle (I have plenty of "ordinary" pink, red, and purple.). Any that are stripped or have some pattern would be particularly welcome.

Fragrances: Ed Hardy (Women's), Lady Stetson, Victoria's Secret, Emeraude, Obsession, or Avon's Sweet Honesty.

Gelatin -- packets of "plain" for crafting

Hummingbirds

Incense: Tranquility, Ocean Breeze, Ed Hardy (Woman), Frankincense and Myrrh, Blue Nile, Hippie Love.

Jewelry -- costume/Vintage (Please, no Mardi Gras beads!)

Lace (I really like to decorate with this!)

lighters (unique but not scary)

Mango Butter (for making lotion/cream)

mica

paintbrushes (small, foam)

Postcards -- I like sea-life, seashore, beach themed, lighthouses, butterflies, ladybugs, dragonflies, mountains and interesting rock formations, wild animals, hot air balloons, Amish country, Safari and jungle scenery, unusual and unique flowers/trees (fauna and flora), botanical gardens, popular places to visit in foreign countries, vintage, ephemera. I especially like handmade postcards with imaginative creations and good use of color/artistic.

Ric-rac

rubber stamps (clear, used/new), particularly Suzy's Zoo, Mary Engelbreit, Ed Hardy, Religious/Scripture, Snowman/Snowlady, FUN ones for children

seahorses

Shea Butter -- raw, unrefined

soap and candle-making supplies and colorants

stamping inks (no black, please)

straight pins -- pearl-headed or any kind of cool-looking long straight pins for sewing projects

T pins

Vanilla beans (fresh)

Vintage style items

watercolors

wooden thread spools

pink/purple/lime green-colored items to craft for granddaughters

blue/red/orange/green/lime green/yellow-colored items to craft for grandsons

Thomas Kincade art

Mary Engelbreit art

used postage stamps from other countries and unique USA ones

Craft items/kits for my 10-year-old granddaughter and nine-year-old grandson who live with me.

THRIFT STORE WISH LIST (The following are some ideas of things that I am looking for in the thrift store arena...in no particular order of preference.):

1. Ephemera/vintage paper items -- please, only true ephemera. The reason I note this is because I recently received a tag for ephemera that consisted of punch-outs from a new scrapbook cardstock page(s) -- reproduction type -- and while it was cute, it was not true ephemera.

2. Lighthouses

3. Vintage playing cards

4. Vintage baseball items (for my grandson)

5. Vintage fairies (for my granddaughter)

6. Vintage Christmas items (especially metal or glass ornaments, nativity scenes, snowflakes, snowmen/ladies, religious items.)

7. Vintage teacups with saucers

8. Vintage jewelry (broken is great because I love to re-purpose the pieces!)

9. Mary Engelbreit art

10. Thomas Kincade art

11. Tweety and Sylvester

12. Tom and Jerry items

13. Vintage storybooks

14. Vintage cookware and aprons

Baskets (unique)
books of inspiration/quotes/Scripture
Brown bag molds
candles (please, no cinnamon scent)
lighthouses
inspirational quotes
Bible verse art
snowmen/snowladies
seashells and ocean "gems"
butterflies
out-of-the-ordinary containers for craft storage
items that say "Nana" as opposed to grandma, et. al. (I love being a grandmother. It's my greatest joy in life besides God!!!)
Debbie Mumm angel artwork
Thomas Kincade art
Mary Engelbreit art
Tole painted items
Tweety
unusual craft supplies (think "trash to treasure")
ephemera
unique paper
magazines (vintage)
bookmarks (especially ones that have Scripture on them)

The Holy Bible (King James version)

making others smile!

the beach at sunrise or sunset

watching a butterfly flit and flutter through the air on a warm, sunny day

collecting seashells and ocean gems -- anything "beachy"

relaxing on a mountaintop in the cool, crisp autumn air, delighting in the breathtaking scenery of the valley below

relishing in the delight of my grandchildren on Christmas morning and all that "magic" it holds for them, yet knowing that their little minds are learning about the true meaning of Christmas

on a sunny morning, being entertained by the dolphins frolicking in the ocean

Not getting rated on swaps

Adult-themed items (because I am usually crafting when my grandchildren come over to visit), Dark side, vampires, and the like.

Rap music, alternative, heavy metal that makes no sense. Justin Bieber, Punk, Hip Hop

sci-fi books/films/tv shows
Spongebob cartoon character

Allergic reaction to cinnamon aroma in candles, potpourri, essential oils, fragrance oils, and perfumes.

Country, Christian (Julie Durden -- you can find her at reverbnation.com, Chris Tomlin, Casting Crowns), Oldies -- Rock-n-Roll and Motown (50s, 60s, 70s), K-LOVE radio.

The Voice, ID, Forensic Files, Golden Girls, I Love Lucy, Hallmark Movie Channel, Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, NCIS, Bones, Criminal Minds, Cold Case Files (wish there was more of this!), Inspiration TV, LMN movie channel.

Favorite Movies:
The Bible (Series)
Dirty Dancing
The Breakfast Club
It's a Wonderful Life
A Miracle on 34th Street
The Wizard of Oz
Gone with the Wind
Swiss Family Robinson
The Sound of Music
Pretty Woman Shawshank Redemption
Mrs. Doubtfire
Forrest Gump
Disney movies for the child in me!
Patrick Swayze movies!