Hi, I'm a happily married, thirty-something mother of three. I work as a GP in a free clinic. I love my job, it's wonderful to do useful work in a fantastic team. But it can also be an energy drainer and my creativity is what recharges me: I garden, knit, quilt, fold, knead, sing, CREATE because it makes me feel alive. I don't have a lot of free time*, so I won't be doing many swaps, but I love the idea of this community and if something comes up that seems feasible, I'll participate.

*this is not a complaint, I'm very happy to give my time to my work and my family, and the fact that there is not a lot of time left for other things, is just a fact, not something that makes me sad or disappointed!

We don't have television, because we feel there are more pleasant ways to pass our time. For example: my husband and I started a mini-choir (of two voices :-)), and are now rehearsing for our third Christmas concert. (although the second one was canceled because of a sore throat:-( )

Knitting, paper crafts (origami), salt dough, needle-work, patchwork and quilting, calligraphy, baking (cookies), photography, gardening, printing (lino), painting (aquarell), frivolité, crochet, ....

Apart from doing all sorts of crafts, I like to ride my bike (mostly as a means of transport, to work, but also for leisure), roller skate, read, sing, take a shower, visit friends, eat good food, cuddle my children, ENJOY LIFE IN A MINDFUL WAY! I recently took up the clarinet, and my daily practice has taken the place of my daily meditation. It seems to be working just as well inmaking me relaxed, happy and strong

In 2009 I took an introductory course on mindfulness, and I must say I took to it. I had a rough spot back in 2009 because it was all too much (very sick baby (now a healthy child, luckily) who kept me awake at night + moving house + changing jobs + health issues myself = TOO MUCH). I became depressed, not really, suicidally depressed, but depressed enough to make life gray, when it should be rainbow. So, I took time off, and I saw a psychologist, et cetera, and it did help, I got better, but I was left with fear. Fear that there would be hard times again (there WILL be hard times again) and that again, I wouldn't be able to deal with them until it was almost too late, fear of 'losing' months of my life again. And this is where mindfulness comes in, it seems to help me see the rainbow when it rains, it makes me take a more creative approach to my life. I try to meditate daily. According to my husband I'm a much more pleasant and happy person when I do ;-).

Colors: my favorite color (at the moment) is green, but I really just love colors, especially bright colors.

Nature and organic gardening (square foot gardening)

Yoga and meditation, mindfulness

Family and friends: talking, walking, cooking, eating together.

The simple life

Christmas

Lyrics + music for Christmas songs for two voices (alto and bass) in English, French, German or Dutch.

Anything to do with roses, especially pink roses. I love the way they look, their scent and their velvety feel.

Beads (glass, wood, ...)

Fabric scraps (anything 5x5 inches or bigger), for the moment I'm thinking of a project in reds, blues/aquas and creams/whites, so I have a preference for these colors.

Pictures to color (for me or my children)

I'm thinking of revamping my kitchen in a red-turquoise-white color scheme, so anything inspirational for that, like pictures from magazines, postcards, pieces of fabric or trim, ... Maybe you'll see possibilities that I don't...

I love Kaffe Fassett, so anything Kaffe is very welcome!

Pieter is 5 and loves typical boy stuff like construction, trains, planes, dinosaurs, trucks, lego's and blue, but also pink and purple, going to museums (he likes 'crazy artists' (his words, not mine) like Magritte and Van Gogh) and playing mummy and daddy with his sister. He likes doing crafts very much and loves to listen to music (especially live brass bands).

Marie is 3 and loves pink and purple and blue and everything else her big brother loves. She really loves sweets. She likes to dress up and play princess.

Lucas is 1 and he loves his mummy and daddy and his brother and sister. He loves to eat, play and sleep. He's just a baby, really. But a very happy, smiley baby!