BleedingBlack

Update 05/02/12: My husband sent off a bunch of swaps, tags, etc for me so if within a week or so (give or take depending if you are in the USA or not) you still havent gotten your swap for me, please let me know. I'm trying to find the time to get on here lately but it seems like as soon as one thing calms down, another thing bursts open. My FB offers the most current up.to.the.minute updates on my family and myself. This past weekend we took Kai to the ER for her breathing and spitting up. She was released with a possible asthma diagnosis and upper respiratory infection. "Possible" because they say she is too young to be diagnosed with asthma as of now. I have had severe asthma my entire life. I know all the ins and outs of it. I know Kai had a risk for it with my family history but even more so with her being premature. They overlooked all aspects and sent us on our way home. I have been giving Kai breathing treatments daily and as soon as our insurance is reinstated this week, I'm getting her inhaler and aerochamber, then taking her to her pedi to DEMAND something to done because she is STILL not breathing like she should. You can hear it, you can see it, and you can feel it as she breathes. So, I am up and down a lot during the night watching her to make sure she's okay. We are still without a car and my husband is still rarely home due to work. With this (plus the issues going on with our other three kids) and him being gone, I'm honestly depressed and at times feel like I cant do this. I'm not strong enough for this life that I live.

To my swap partners, both public swaps & private, as well as anyone who tags me: Please bear with me. As most of you who have been following the story of my daughter know, she was born early and we have been going through a very tough journey in the NICU. I update my profile regularly to keep everyone informed. My swaps may be a bit late, but will without a doubt, get to you! That I promise. Please consider my situation before rating me low. We are at the end of our NICU journey and things will start to get easier since I wont have to travel 45 minutes (one way) on the freeway to see my baby once she is home. Thank you to everyone for all the thoughts, prayers, and understanding through all of this! It means everything to me! As of the 9th of April, I will be finishing up a lot of my Current Public Swaps and will be doing very few until I can get my daughter adjusted to being home rather than in the NICU (when she is released). I may do a few Tags here & there and I am still open to a few Private Swaps, depending on what we are swapping.

Update April 11th, 2012: Makaiyah has been home since the night of the 9th! We are trying to adjust...but so far things are pretty good.

I got a message from my high risk doctor on the tests that were ran: had my daughter stayed in the womb any longer, my chances of losing her where very likely...so even though the NICU is sucking the life out of me, I am so thankful for every second my little girl is there and alive. She's a fighter and a miracle.

March 13th, 2012: If you are waiting on a Tag, Swap, etc from me please bear with me. On March 8th I went into labor at 33.6 weeks with my little girl. She was born at 2:16 pm at 3lbs 8.3oz 16" and she's in the NICU. Her name is Makaiyah Viviana. Prior to this event happening, on February 29th I had a blood transfusion then on March 3rd I was hospitalized for pneumonia (I'm a Severe Asthmatic so I was really sick) and in the mist of all of that is when my doctor discovered my daughter stopped growing in the womb at 29.1 weeks. I was not released from the hospital until March 9th. Kai is still in the NICU. This website has kept me sane through all of this. And to everyone who has sent me a Tag, RAK, Swap, etc recently: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU with all my heart!

I WILL RATE YOU AS SOON AS THE SWAP IS RECEIVED! PLEASE DO THE SAME FOR ME...I RARELY WILL RATE 1 OR 3 UNLESS IT'S A MUST. ALSO PLEASE REMEMBER: I AM NEW TO MAKING ATCs, FBs, DECOS, LBs, INCHIES...SO PLEASE DONT RATE ME LOW IF YOU DONT LIKE IT...I DO PUT A LOT OF EFFORT AND WILL IMPROVE OVER TIME AS I LEARN AND GET MORE SUPPLIES!

Also given the post office isnt always kind to packages, flat or otherwise, if anything gets damaged, please let me know so I can replace it for you!

I always try to send out my swaps BEFORE the deadline and in a very timely manner. ATCs, Inchies, etc take a little more time but will be sent out no later then the deadline.

I'm a 27 year old mother of four. Three girls and a boy.

My Girls:

Caydence ~ Caydi just turned 7 on March 8th. She's mildly Autistic and going into the 2nd grade. She loves to read and loves music. She is also into similar things I am. She was also a preemie at birth.

Serenity ~ Renny will be 4 on August 24th. She has developmental delays including speech and is still learning her numbers, letters, colors, etc. She'll be in preschool this year. She loves anything girly and Angry Birds.

Makaiyah ~ Kai was due April 20th but stopped growing in the womb at 29.1 weeks. On March 8th I went into labor on my own while on bedrest in the hospital. She came that day. 3lbs 8.3oz 16" and she's currently in the NICU. New nursery will be all Earthy tones, baby The Lion King, Birds and Owls.

My Son:

Landen ~ Bubba will be 2 on August 19th. He loves cars, anything with wheels and playing with his sisters. He loves the Geico Pig! And he just started walking...kind of.

So yes, you read that right: Caydi and Kai, my two preemies, share a March birthday. While my two term babies, Renny & Bubba, are 5 days apart in August. :) The kids love it and so do we!

USMC:

I'm a US Marine Corps fiance...very soon to be wife. To stay sane while he's away, whether it be training, duty or deployment, I craft and I love it! We are also planning our big wedding that is set for October 6th, 2012.

Swaps & Friends:

I also love to swap and make new friends. If anyone ever wants to do a private swap, feel free to PM me and ask! I'm always up for it!

Military Pen Pals & The Book:

I have a lot of military pen pals and am working on a military based book with the help of some great military s/o in my Facebook group Military Pen Pals & Swaps.

Pen Pals:

I do have several non-military pen pals as well who I love staying in contact with!

Steampunk

My name: Rear Admiral Ava Osborne.

I've been into Steampunk for a long time...before it was dubbed 'Steampunk'...believe it or not. As a child, I always loved anything to do with the styles and subculture.

I love:

*Paper Crafts

*My Cricut Expressions 2

*Journals

*Writing

*Whimsey Jars

*Reading

*Sewing

*Making Soaps

*Lip Balms

*Lotions

*Homemade Non-Toxic Crayons

*Candles

*Jewelry

*Steampunk Crafts

*I love stuff that dangles off of anything really

*Etc.

*I love to craft and always have!

I really love military related crafts... namely those based on the United States Marine Corps (USMC).

*The Hunger Games trilogy

*Slammed

*The Grunt

*Twilight Saga

*The Lying Game

*Pretty Little Liars

*Say Yes to the Dress

*Four Weddings

*Million Dollar Listing

I listen to a bit of everything as long as it isnt to heavy.

*Adele

*Disciple

*Jeremy Camp

*Building 429

*Old Linkin Park

*Andy Cherry

*Lady Gaga

*Seether

*Red

*Kerrie Roberts

*Godsmack

*Jeremy Camp

*Breaking Benjamin

*Lady Antebellum

*Bethany Joy Lenz

*Five Finger Death Punch

*Katy Perry

*Skillet

*OneRepublic

*Anberlin

*Sully Erna

*Shinedown

*Black

*Purples

*Blues

*Dark Reds

*Greens

*Earthy Tones

*Victorian Looking Colors (soft pinks mixed in with tans and other colors)

*Camo

*Marine Camo (Desert & Woodland)

*Anything Owls

*Anything Cherry Blossoms

*Anything USMC Stuff

*Decorated Matchboxes

*Whimsey Jars

*Inchies

*Twinchies

*Homemade Journals

*Slams

*Smash Books

*Chunky Journals & Booklets

*Mini Journals of Any Kind

*Keychains -Mostly USMC, Owls, Cherry Blossoms, Homemade -I'm not picky.

*Homemade Jewelry

*Stickers

*Stationary

*Friendship Bracelets

*Ford Mustang Stuff (anything...all years...my favorite is New Edge body style so 1999-2004 and the new body style)

*Paper Bag Journals

*Altered Books, Music Books, Compos

*The Hunger Games Stuff

*Anything Steampunk (including jewelry)

*Anything Scrapbooking

*4"-5" Boots & Heels that make a Statement (think Gothic, Steampunk, Pin Up type. Knee High, Thigh High, and a Verity of Pumps).

*Stuffies

*Crocheted Animals/Amigurumi (Owls, Otters, Pigs, anything cute)

*Binder Trading Cards

*And I'm always open to new stuff and anything off my 'Likes/Wish List'... you can use either list to go off of.

Starting up a Traveling Slam Book! It'll be my first one, so I hope it does well!

If you want to do a private swap with me, please send me a PM and we can set something up!

*I would like to do a private swap for small decorated and filled Whimsey Jars.

*Also looking do to do private swap for Inchies and Twinchies.

*Gothic Looking Stuff

*Steampunk Stuff

*Punk Type Stuff

*Neo Victorian Stuff

*Vintage Stuff

*USMC Stuff

*Camo Stuff (Marine Desert and Woodland preferred but any will do)

*Military Stuff

*Charms of Any Kind

*Marine Charms (military)

*Owls

*Cherry Blossoms

*Skeleton Keys

*Ford Mustang Stuff

*Stationary (store bought & homemade)

*Pens (Gelly, Colored, Micron Super Fine, & any pen that write super smooth & soft)

*Pencils (Mechanical -Like TechniClick & Art Sets, Graphite)

*Color Art Pencil Sets

*Drawing Supplies (Charcoal, Paper, Erasers, Compasses, Curves, Books, Dusting Brushes, Good Sharpeners, Transfer Papers, Blending Stomps, Tortillons, Chamois, Colored Charcoal...)

*Sketch Books (store bought or homemade)

*Pouches (anything I can put art supplies into)

*Anything Creative

*Re-Purposed Stuff

*Journals of All Different Kinds (Chunky, Mini, Slams, Smash, Paper Bag, Scrapbook, etc)

*Embellishments of Any Kind

*Scrapbooking Stuff (Anything)

*Photography Stuff

*Zebra Print

*Animal Prints

*Anything Educational for my Kids

*Fabric

*Sewing Stuff

*Crochet Stuff (Any & All -I want to learn)

*PUL Fabric

*Cloth Diapers for Makaiyah (preemie or one size but anything will do)

*Wet Bags (for the cloth diapers)

*Archaeology Related Stuff

*Anthropology Related Stuff (the career field)

*Anthropologie Stuff (the fashion)

*Pen Pals

*Art Supplies

*Craft Supplies

*Zentangle Supplies (pencils, pens, moleskine journals, blanks, etc)

*ATC Supplies

*Inchie Supplies

*Binder Trading Cards

*Twinchies

*Decorated 32 Count Matchbooks

*ATCs

*Fabric ATCs

*FBs

*Slams

*Chunky Journals

*Smash Books

*Steampunk Journals

*Steampunk Jewelry

*Steampunk Anything

*Homemade Stuff (I'm open to almost anything)

*Makeup (I like dark makeup...think black eyeliner and smokey eyes)

*Burt's Bees Stuff

*Scented Candles

*Soaps (non-skin drying)

*Jewelry (love handmade, gothic, steampunk, USMC)

*Lip Balms (medicated & flavored)

*Lotions (scented & unscented, homemade is great too)

*Body Sprays

*Reused Items (baby food jars, mason jars, etc)

*Stuff for my Children

*Baby Girl Items (toys, taggie animals, clothes, bibs, etc) -Please note that my youngest daughter is a preemie. She's very tiny.

*Old and New Music Sheets

*Old Papers

*Old Book Pages

*Inchies

*Fabric Inchies

*Something to keep my Inchies in

*Handmade Book to keep my ATCs in

*ATC Sleeves

*Skull Stuff

*Thick Thread for Friendship Crafts

*Beads

*Lace

*Feathers

*Vintage Looking Things

*Buttons

*Keychains

*Stuffies (I want an owl!!!!)

*Paper Bag Journals

*The Hunger Games Stuff

*Ford Mustang Running Pony

*Ancient Egyptian Stuff

*Decos

*Pre-Printed Address Labels

*Amigurumi

*Goodie Bags

*Sticker Bags

*Random Bags

*Ephemera

*And anything else you think I may like. I am NOT picky! Keep checking back to my list...always adding something.

*Super Bright Neon Colors (unless combined with prints...like hot pink/zebra I love)

*Anything Very Religious

*Trash

*Useless Items

*Reward Stickers

*SpongeBob Anything -No offense to anyone but I just dont like him at all.

*Candles

*Soap

*Lip Balm

*Non-Toxic Upcycled Crayons

*Sugar Scrubs

*Lotion

*Friendship Bracelets

*Friendship Necklaces

*Friendship Keychains

*Wool Dryer Balls

*Felted Dryer Balls

*Mini Inspirational Books (military & non-military related)

*Scrapbooking Paper

*Photography

*Paint Chip Bookmarks

*Zentangles

*Friendship Books

*Sticker Bags

*Label Bags

*Paper Origami Flowers

*Paper Fortune Cookies

*Revamped Scrabble Tiles

*Teas

*Hot Chocolates

*Inchies

*Stickers

*Memo Pad Papers

*Binder Trading Cards

*ATCs

*Random Smash Book Items

*Goodie Bags

*I also do a lot of paper crafts, sew, write (pen pals and I'm writing a book), and I love to read. I also love to be challenged to try something new. I'm a very creative person.

*I will also be making Button Bobby Pins, Bows, and Bow Holders very soon. Right now my sewing machine is down :(

I send extra as often as I can!