CinnamonSnow

I'm back after a very long hiatus. I wasn't feeling like swapping for a long time, and suddenly I'm ready again. I don't swap much, 1-2 per month max I prefer quality to quantity but I don't flake out of swaps ever.

Harry Potter series. Anything by Marian Keyes. Runner up are books by Malika Mokeddem.

Historical Romance. My dirty secret, lol. Not really a secret but it throws people off as I don't fit the stereotype

Fiction and autobiographies by women in different cultures and times. No cheap sensationalism flavoured with colonialism but proper stories. (Marguerite van Geldermalsen YES, Jean Sassoon NO)

Andre Norton fantasy books.

At the moment I am more of a wannabe crafter but I do enjoy scrapbooking and sewing. I'm not proficient but I'm relatively good, though slow, at sewing.

Baking, I'm particularly good at tweaking recipes to fit our dietary needs

I am a SAHM of two living in Edmonton, Alberta at the moment. It's the 4th country, 3rd continent I've lived in so far. I love reading, getting to know new people (a must when you move so much) and dancing. I dislike cleaning and organising. Paperwork is my nemesis. I also talk much too much . I dream of having a cat but since both my daughter and I are allergic to cats, it is not very likely in the nearest future.

Colour green. Any shade except olive/khaki/muddy. Green could be my middle name.

Harry Potter. Husband is the only Muggle in the family. I'm a Ravenclaw, daughter is a Huff and son, well, too young to be sure but he hovers between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Fave characters - Minerva McGonagal, Molly Weasley and Lupin.

Horses. I used to ride, not anymore. I still love anything horse related

Tea. Especially spicy tea. But any tea fruit and herbal teas are welcome. Not a fan of liquorice, though.

Mugs (goes well with tea).

Quality food. And since it's expensive, I cook and bake from scratch. Not Rachel Ray "scratch" - real scratch :)

Emily books by L M Montgomery. Much more than the Anne series. Can't stand the TV version, though. Anne wins hands down in the TV category

Fairies (Disney's and others). Magic. Fantasy (Andre Norton and Terry Pratchett. And the Pegasus series).

Fleece. Life saver in winter (October to May if we define winter as snowy times)

Fresh air and silence. Mountains.

Fast food. Not out of snobbery, it just makes me feel physically bad afterwards. Sensitive to all the additives I imagine.

Winnie the Pooh and Little Prince. No reason. I have always disliked both, since childhood.

Rain and clouds. Gloomy, cold and wet weather. I take Alberta cold over British Columbia rain any day of the year. Really.

Polyester clothes. Except for fleece.

Nudity, PDA, generally intimacy made public. I like some things to stay private. Please.

I am a toddler crafter, and since I joined swap bot mainly to connect with different people, I will be happy to receive anything that comes from you. If it tells me something about who you are, it will make my day. If you're not inspired or in a hurry, here is a small list: - washi tape (my new addiction) - pretty quality stickers (no holiday-specific, please, I have no use for them) - blank postcards I can use in swaps (no holiday specific, please) - anything cat (domestic and wild) and horses related. No insects except for butterflies. - handmade stuff - anything, I admire crafty people and it inspires me - anything sewing related

I love: -chocolate

-maple syrup products

-nougat (the white kind)

-tea (black, spicy, green (sencha, mint), herbal (no liquorice, though) fruity (preferably without added flavourings). Factory sealed just in case :)

-Most things, really (except for the "please, don'ts" below), I am curious and love trying new things

Please don'ts:

-no pork products (difficult with animal gelatine, so best avoided)

-no liquorice - neither in sweets nor in tea

-no salty-sweet tastes (like salty caramel etc)

-no peanuts. I am not allergic to them just really dislike them :) Other nuts are most welcome :)

-no alcohol and alcohol flavoured stuff. Tea-totaller here :)

For international food swaps: - no dairy and/or meat products - they're not allowed. Honey is allowed (up to 10kg as far as I remember lol)

After having kids I learned to revel in the sound of silence and quiet. But when I do feel like music (usually while driving), I listen to Leonard Cohen, Noa, Mylene Farmer, Asala, Rammstein, Die Ärzte, Toten Hosen, Shakira, Classical Music (Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Grieg) Oum Keltoum, Idir, Akli D, Bollywood movies songs and many others. I don't enjoy jazz and country.

Food Network, Sitcoms (whatever channel) and Discovery Channels with Science Discovery being my favourite