Greetings from Vancouver Island, Canada. My name is Deanna and I am a blue INFJ (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling Judging). My PPNs are True Health and Helping Others.

The past few years I have dealt with various health issues. Since I started the MKE course I chose to improve my health by getting back to practicing yoga (Hatha, Yin, and Restorative), Pilates, and the tapping technique. I have been going for walks and eating healthier.

I work on an organic farm and my hubby and I have a small veggie garden so I am able to eat freshly made salads and steamed or roasted squash and root veggies. I like making pretty salads “to enthrall the senses”. I put different coloured carrots, tomatoes, radishes, mint, and edible flowers into salads.

Aesthetically the salads look amazing but they also smell divine from the mint. I also work at a bakery and it is very difficult to resist all the delicious treats that tempt me.

I enjoy helping others. Whether it is helping with food prep and clean-up for a large group, being an English as a Second Language (ESL) coordinator for my Mexican coworkers, fundraising for families in Bwera, Uganda to purchase chickens, goats, or top bar beehives, or selling crafts to send kids to school, all these activities make me happy.

I am a creative person. I enjoy crocheting tiny items like dress bookmarks or mini orange sweaters, writing inspirational quotes on paint chips and sharing them with others, painting on rocks, etc. Learning to scrapbook, make paper, broomstick crochet, Tunisian crochet, hairpin crochet, and tatting are on my bucket list.

For my DMP I wrote that I plan to open a fiber Women’s Collective. My dream is to create a safe haven where women and girls learn, create, and sell fiber crafts. I have been to several Fiber/Knitting Circles and was part of a Crochet Club.

I enjoy socializing with others, whether the group is learning to make the same item, or working on separate projects. I envision a place where workshops, classes, yarn swaps, etc. are free or affordable. I know what it is like to be excited about a class only to find out I could not afford the class and supplies.

I have so many ideas on what I hope to have for the business. This includes a Little Free Crafting Supply Library, similar to the Little Free Libraries found along neighbourhood streets.

I am a nature lover. Three of my names are nature based. I enjoy going for hikes in the forests, walking in gardens, puttering around my garden, strolling along the beach and finding driftwood, clam and oyster shells, or wishing rocks (rocks that have perfectly connected rings; the more rings the luckier the rock), identifying flora and fauna, and stargazing. Being immersed in nature is calming yet invigorating.

In recent years I have learned to look for “silver linings” no matter how small, especially on “character building” days or weeks. Some people who inspire me are Louise Hay, Maya Angelou, and Mother Teresa. One of Louise Hay’s affirmations is similar to the Law of Substitution. I use Louise Hay’s positive affirmations and Maya Angelou and Mother Teresa’s quotes a lot.

I am happily married to a talented cook who encourages me and makes me laugh, especially when I am having a “character building” day. I also have twin teenage stepsons who are seniors in high school.