mslighthearted

IMPORTANT NOTE Like many people experience from time to time, my life is in a bit of an upheaval at the moment. My swaps will be sent out on time but I may not get around to rating in a timely fashion - and am, in fact, running a bit behind. Please be patient. I will rate everyone eventually. If you have sent me a swap and it's been a while, please let me know. I'm sure there have been ratings I've forgotten to make. My sincerest apologies. I will also be severely restricting the number of swaps I am participating in for the time being until things settle down. Edited March 22, 2014.

On my quest: to learn something new every day, be a little happier than I was the day before and to leave the world just a little bit better than the way I found it. Want to join me?

OK... it is so difficult to ad lib a snapshot of who I am. I tend to be the listener rather than the talker so I can struggle with describing myself. Let's start with the basics: I'm a 40 year old who feels like I'm anywhere between 5 and 55 - depending on the circumstance. (Though I spend most of my days feeling like 20 year old!) I have one biological son who's 18 and a stepson who's about to be 12. I've been in a relationship for the past 7 years with an old high school sweetheart of mine. We plan on getting married - someday. I have two dogs and a cat (all rescues) and they bring me joy each and every day - and aggravate me only on the rare occasion. I've been a lab tech for about 15 years now and I absolutely love my career. I'm Canadian and have recently moved to our nations capital and am excited to experience all it has to offer.

10 Favourite Movies (in no particular order):

1. Shawshank Redemption
2. Rudy
3. Stand By Me
4. The Help
5. Bridesmaids
6. Braveheart
7. Forrest Gump
8. The Silence of the Lambs
9. Home Alone
10. October Sky

Great Movies that I've NEVER seen (but plan to).

1. E.T. The Extra-terrestrial
2. Gone With the Wind
3. Star Wars (never seen any!)
4. Casablance
5. Finding Nemo

Worst Movies EVER! (IMHO)

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Men Who Stare at Goats
3. The Grey
4. The Breakup
5. The Blair Witch Project

Fave TV:

OK, let's be honest here. I have a bit of a television addiction - but I'm working on it. Thanks to my DVR and Netflix I rarely watch network t.v. My absolute favourite show ever is "Law & Order" (original, followed by SVU then Criminal Intent). Others that make my list are:

1. Dexter
2. Orange is the New Black
3. Big Bang Theory
4. All in the Family
5. Nurse Jackie
6. The Closer
7. Damages
8. The Golden Girls
9. NYPD Blue

Fave Music

I like pretty much everything except for jazz. I listen to music when I'm in my car or when I'm doing housework but it's more of background sound than something I actively do. Does that make me odd?

Fave books (again in no particular order):

1. The Help
2. Harry Potter
3. The Hunger Games
4. Like Water for Elephants
5. The Shipping News
6. The Davinci Code
7. The Joy of Cooking
8. Anne of Green Gables
9. Little House on the Prairie
10. The Book of Negroes

... and a book that I absolutely HATED was "Life of Pi"! I don't know how it ever won any awards!)

Fave Crafts:

Let's put it this way... I love crafting but it happens more in my mind than it does in real life. I have many intentions to get projects done but most of them end up being ideas rather than coming to fruition. On my to-do list:

1. Learn how to quilt
2. Learn how to do native beading
3. Learn how to sew

I do dabble in crochet, cross stitch and cookie decorating but I'm not an expert in anything. I like to do holiday projects that take up my attention for one day then I can move on. If it requires weeks or months to complete, I may never finish it!

Collections:

My only real collection (which was accidental) is my book collection. I have amassed a large amount of novels and cookbooks and even though I keep weeding through them I always end up with more and more. My favourite cookbooks to collect are the fundraising cookbooks that schools and churches put together AND the old flyer types that were put out by companies to sell their products (think Kraft, Crisco, Crosby molasses, and so on.)

Dislikes:

I like and appreciate everything and if I don't like it, I probably know someone who will.

Thea in a Nutshell:

1. I am a procrastinator (I'm working on it but it's still always there.)

2. I am addicted to Pinterest. Seriously.

3. I love yard/garage sales. I get up on Saturday morning and make a list then program my GPS to bring me to my highlighted route. I should probably attend a support group.

4. I have lost 155 lbs in the past year and a half. I'm still a little fluffy but not nearly as much as I once was. Now I'm a little (actually, A LOT!!) more jiggly than I was before.

5. I love Twizzlers and sour candy - but chocolate doesn't really impress me and ice cream makes me ill.

6. I am into retro anything - especially things that remind me of my childhood: Peanuts, Sesame Street, or anything from the 80's.

7. I love card and board games.

8. The stupider the joke the louder I laugh (a bad pun can send me into convulsions.)

9. I love to cook and bake - especially if I have someone to give it to.

10. I have a love/hate relationship with Candy Crush!

HUGE NEWS I just bought my first sewing machine and I don't have a clue where to start - though I'm excited to jump right in. Any and all of the following would be graciously and greatly appreciated: * thread/bobbins/needles * fabric (even small pieces/scraps) * any other sewing paraphernalia * patterns * links to simple projects * tips and tricks