JournalJunkie

Hello All, I am Michelle, Just getting into the wide open swapping range that is swap bot. I am 46 years of age, Divorced (or soon to be) Mother of 1. I live in a small town in Sunny ( sometimes all to HOT) Florida. I have done most of what I wanted to in life. I never see a past choice as a mistake or regret. I don’t believe in them. If I learned a lesson from a life choice that I made, Then there is nothing to regret. I am one of those hippy types that believes everything happens for a reason. I also have found the simple truth to the meaning of life. And seriously, it is simple.. TO LIVE IT! I am a type II diabetic and have lived past my stint of ovarian cancer. After that I just learned to live in the moment and to see everyday that I can open my eyes is another CHANCE at life. ☺I also am one who loves the simple things in life. I love watching the insects of the world go through their daily rituals and live. Ok, I know that sounds odd as heck, but seriously, have you ever just sat and watched little ants gather food? They can with dedication and working together move food that is 1000 times their size. HOW amazing is that?

When I am not at work, which sadly I do feel is my life right now, I am pretty much a home body who likes to mess around with journaling and paper crafts, snail mail and envelope art. I pretty much stay in this area because I seriously have not one crafty bone in my body. I tried knitting once and ended up with a mess of a yarn ball that had to be destroyed. I swear it just got bigger and bigger. It may not have been able to cover a bed, but it could have rolled into a small town and crushed it like Godzilla having a temper tantrum. ☺ After that, I realized that paper is relatively SAFE minus the few and annoying paper cuts here and there. So paper crafts it is for me.

I tend to think that a great set of markers and pens are 1000 times more valuable than diamonds. I really think if Marilyn Monroe would have done ATC’s she would have been singing a different tune. OF course, with that said, If my knight in shining amour shows up with a 3 K diamond, I wouldn’t whine about it. Hahaha ! ☺ And I swear if anyone tells him NOT to get the diamond and just buy me a pack of paper. I will start sending rocks in the mail!! I am serious now.. LOL ok, so not so serious. ☺

In my lifetime, via friends and family I have been told that I am ODD.. STRANGE.. DIFFERENT.. A GOOBER.. ADORKABLE.. And my all time favorite from my little sister.. JUST A TAD BIT ON THE SPECIAL SIDE!! ☺ I like that one best. She will just look at me, shake her head and say, (( PAPA ALWAYS SAID YOU WERE A TAD BIT ON THE SPECIAL SIDE)) Ohhhh what a feeling.

I laugh a lot, I do think it makes life better and I think it makes the heart happier. With that said, I do have an issue with laughing at something’s that I probably shouldn’t. But no one ever said a warped sense of humor was to terrible. ☺ I don't try to push the envelope on it..lol But it does happen. ☺

LIKES & HOBBIES :

☺ATC’S I am still in the new stages of this. But adore making and trading them. ☺Snail mail pen pals. ☺Envelope art ☺Making envelopes out of AnYtHiNg! Old torn books, paper grocery bags, old calendars, Maps, anything that can be reused and made for mail. ☺Journals, both art and the good old fashioned ( Dear Dairy ) type journals. I journal daily and have for what seems like for ever. ☺Journaling prompt swaps. ☺Journal prompt jars. ☺Markers ☺Pens ☺Glue and glue sticks. ☺Hand drawn page borders. ☺Alter ego pen pals. ☺Learning about different cultures, their art, fables and folklore. ☺Anything GEISHA ☺ Anything Maori ☺ Day of the dead/ Sugar skull type things. ☺BeNtOs or Bento ideas. ( ok, so I am an OLD woman, But I still adore FUN FOOD!) ☺Zombies !!!! ☺Halloween ☺ Dragonflies, Ladybugs, Butterflies and Fire flies. ☺ Odd or unusual Postcards.

There are more I am sure, and I am sure from time to time that this list will change with what I learn from the people I hope to meet here. ☺

DISLIKES & NOT HAPPENING: ►Disney ►Pixar ►My Little Pony ►Reward Stickers/ Teacher items. ►Snoopy ►Folded memos and letter sets ►Post it notes ►Dollar bin anything (unless it's a swap specifically for that) ►Loose cut out stickers from sheets ►Dirty, heavily used items, I am not a recycling bin and won’t treat you as one. ►Strong scented items. ►Vanilla anything. ►Teas ►Religious items or tracks. ►Bigots, racists, small minded people. Or basically just mean spirited people. ►Holiday or Birthday items perfume/ flowery scented items ►"Country" themed items, ►Baby related items ►Wedding-related items ►Sports-related items ► sending Memo pads calling it stationery

TV is the devil!!! Ok, so maybe that was a bit to dramatic. Television isn't my favorite thing. While I do admit to a few guilty pleasures on it of course, For the most part I don't watch a lot of it at all. I do watch ☺ True Blood ☺ Behind Mansion Walls ☺ The History Channel ☺ Bizarre Foods ☺ Chopped.

I think reality shows are CrAp! And they are the cause of the dumbing down of the human race. The only thing that I have learned from TLC/ The Learning channel in the last few years as that I needed to stop watching TLC. Here comes Honeybooboo.. ENOUGH SAID!!!

I adore non fiction and autobiographies. I love love love to learn about different cultures, lifestyles. As far as folklore to burial rituals. I think that we miss out on a lot of beauty of other cultures simply because we don't read enough about them.

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