Meet the Mamas
Candace Swords
My name is Candace Swords and I'm the mama of three. I've been married to my high school sweetheart for ten years and we call Hoschton, GA home. I taught first grade for ten years becoming a Matilda Jane Trunk Keeper in 2015. It's been a fun ride and God's hand has been in every part.
1.) How did you get the idea to start this sale?
From the beginning of my time as a TK, my customers and friends were constantly saying "I have a bag of MJ in my closet and I'm not sure what to do with it! The first sale in my neighborhood clubhouse in 2016 was a total leap of faith that happened with my six month old baby girl on my hip and lots of help from family and friends!
2.) What's your favorite Four Mamas Sale memory?
Where do I start? There are SO many. We still laugh about my doing EVERYTHING on paper for my first sale - tagging, records, EVERYTHING! My helpers probably wanted to wring my neck but somehow they loved me enough to stay and improve! By the way, I found an ancient bag of tags in my basement the other day and didn't have the heart to chunk it- ha!
3.) When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a news anchor or writer!
4.) If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? I am happy anywhere on a beach with my sand in the toes. I would LOVE to go to the Swiss Alps and run through the hills like Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music!
5.) What do you think is the best part of having children?
The best part of having children is that they make me slow down. God knows I need to sometimes. They humble me and make me laugh and I find so much beauty in their innocence and littleness.
6.) What's your guilty pleasure?
My guilty pleasure is ordering stuff on Amazon and pink moscato. They DO NOT go well together, LOL. I love lunch at Papa Jack's too!
7.) If you had to use only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, what would they be?
Motivated, loving and positive
8.) What's your favorite part of doing the sale? I LAUGH so much every time we do the sale. The other three mamas and I work extremely well together. We work for so many hours together that we tend to get delirious - which usually leads to laughter. I look forward to the sale with them and its a reunion of sorts. I also LOVE getting to see my customers at the sale. We are all happy for the opportunity to purge and then scream in excitement when we find new sizes of our favorite pieces- or that ISO we have been looking for FOREVER!
9.) Tell us something about yourself that most people may not know.
Most people don't know that I am the WORST dancer!
Dannielle Leitsch
Hey ya'll ! I'm Dannielle Leitsch and I'm a Trunk Keeper in the Jefferson area. I have two kids, Bryce (11) and Addie (9) and have been married to my husband for fifteen years now. I'm originally from the New Orleans area, but have called Georgia home for 13 years now. Before I joined Matilda Jane, I was a fourth grade teacher. This Matilda Jane gig has been such a blessing to me and my family and I couldn't imagine doing anything else.
1.) How did you get involved with this sale? Candace begged me to LOL! But really, I joined her team as a Trunk Keeper in 2016 and just started helping her with the sale. It was so much fun and I loved helping friends find the perfect outfits.
2.) What's your favorite Four Mamas Sale memory?
Wow! There are so many !! Just so you know, us three mamas have the best time together during this sale. We all get a bit delirious towards the end of the night and do silly things like trying on kids pajamas and running around in costumes. I also enjoy seeing the excitement of our friends and customers when they are lined up right before we open the doors for the sale.
3.) When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? I always thought I'd be a doctor but when I got to college, I quickly realized that was NOT going to happen.
4.) If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? My dad's family is all from Sweden so I'd love to go there and see where my ancestors lived.
5.) What do you think is the best part of having children? Being a mom is definitely the hardest job I've ever had, but it's also the most rewarding. As the kids get older, it's fun to see their personalities come out. They are so different but both bring so much JOY to my life. They help me to laugh more and to not take myself too seriously.
6.) What's your guilty pleasure? Watching horrible reality tv like the Bachelor and Bachelorette.
7.) If you had to use only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, what would they be?
Passionate, Realistic, Reliable
8.) What's your favorite part of doing the sale?
Gosh, there's so much to love about doing this sale! I really enjoy seeing our friends and customers scoring great deals. Then, to see our sellers pick up their leftovers and realize how much they sold!! It's so rewarding and so much fun. And I enjoy hanging out with the other ladies who volunteer and help us run the sale.
9.) Tell us something about yourself that most people may not know. I spent a summer in college living overseas, studying Art History in Florence. While I was there, I had the opportunity to travel to Switzerland and I went sky diving over the Alps.
Amy Kammerzell
I am a wife of twenty years and a mama of two fabulous kids, an 18-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl. I am from Colorado and moved to Georgia in 2008 because of my husband’s job. I homeschool both of my children and love how much this sale has taught them.
1.) How did you get involved with the sale?
Fortunately for me, I became a Trunk Keeper the same month Candace had her first sale. She asked if my daughter and I would like to come and help. We both jumped right in and have been involved ever since.
2.) What's your favorite Four Mamas Sale memory?
I have countless fond memories, but one that really has stuck with me is our first sale. We had no air-conditioning in the middle of the summer (if you were there, you will never forget it.) All of us were so exhausted and sweating profusely but in spite of the misery each and every lady who was volunteering and shopping was so kind and patient offering desperately needed words of encouragement. When I look back, I think that is the reason we had a successful sale and why we chose to do it again; it showed me the power women have to build each other up!
3.) When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a lawyer or a personal shopper (I guess the sale helps fulfill part of my dream.)
4.) If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
If I could travel anywhere, I would travel all over Europe taking in the history and beauty of it all!
5.) What do you think is the best part of having children?
I think the best part as well as the most painful part of having children is watching them grow and become their own unique person.
6.) What's your guilty pleasure?
Hands down chocolate is my biggest guilty pleasure!
7.) If you had to use 3 adjectives to describe yourself what would they be?
Scattered, girly and crafty.
8.) What's your favorite part of doing the sale?
My favorite part of each sale is watching little girls and their mamas pick out pieces and getting so excited that they found a treasure!
9.) Tell us something about yourself that most people may not know.
People may not know that my husband works from home because his office is located in Connecticut (and we homeschool) and the only reason we live here in Georgia is that we love it so much
